Rev. William A. Gregerson (1919-2009)

GREGERSON, NAESSIG, SANNES, JOHNSON, PAVALIS, WARNS

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 4/28/2009 at 18:12:08

THE STORY CITY HERALD, Story City, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, April 15, 2009.

Rev. William A. Gregerson, 89, died Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at Southridge Health Care Center in Sioux Falls, SD.

A visitation was held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, April 10, 2009 at George Boom Funeral Home in Sioux Falls with the family present from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A second visitation was held 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, April 12, 2009 at Fiksdal , Funeral Service in Webster, South Dakota with the family present. A memorial service was held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, April 13, 2009 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Webster with burial at a later date.

Rev. William Arthur Gregerson was born June 13, 1919 to Arthur and Hazel (Naessig) Gregerson. He was raised near Webster, South Dakota, where he graduated from High School. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was married to Mildred Sannes Gregerson on November 22, 1941. After his service in the military, he returned to farm the Sannes homestead near Lily, South Dakota. He farmed until 1950, when he was called to go into the ministry. At that time he sold the farm and moved the family to Decorah, IA where he attended Luther College, then to St. Paul, Minnestoa where he attended Luther Seminary. He was ordained in 1957 and served churches in McVille, North Dakota, Metropolis Illinois, Forrest and Colfax, Illinois, Randall and Story City, Iowa, Lake Mills, Iowa, Craig, Iowa, Ortley, South Dakota and Waubay, South Dakota. He retired from the ministry in 2004 at the age of 85.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Howard Gregerson; grandson, Brock Johnson; sons, William, Karl, and David; and his wife, Mildred.
He is survived by his brother, LaVerne Gregerson; his children, Dale Gregersen Ellen Johnson, Anna Gregerson, Laura Pavalis, Mary (Karl) Warns, and their spouses, 19 children, and 22 grandchildren. He will be deeply mourned by those who loved him.

Bill was a man of many interests - having trained as a blacksmith, a John Deere Tractor repairman, an airplane mechanic, a farmer, an auto mechanic and a minister. He could play the harmonica and the accordion. He loved animals and was beloved by his many, many pets. He enjoyed polka music, barbershop music and Lawrence Welk. He could fix anything that had a motor, and enjoyed tinkering. He was a collector of old cars, and would travel extensively to attend auctions if he thought there might be a rusted out Model T he could fix up. He liked licorice, root beer, ice cream, and swiss cheese. He enjoyed growing tomatoes and roses. He had a special gift for comforting fussy babies, and could get the most distraught child to sleep with ease. Although he could never remember a punch line, he loved a good joke. His hobby in recent years was to read the bible, from cover to cover, several times per year.
In lieu of memorials, the family asks that you make a contribution to the Bible Camp of your choice and provide encouragement to you local church youth group.

A complete obituary and online registry is available at www.georgeboom.com.