Lillian Mildred (Querna) Carlsen (1899-1979)

QUERNA, CARLSEN, EGENES, BIORN, DRAHEIM

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:13

From Nevada Evening Journal November 20, 1979 (page 2)

Obituary----

LILLIAN M. CARLSEN

Funeral services for Mrs. Lillian M. Carlsen, 80, Story City, were held Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m., from Immanuel Lutheran Church, Story City, with Rev. Enoch Holl in charge. Janet Olson was organist. Katherine Munsen was violinist. Jay Egenes sang. The Rev. Sanford Carlsen brought a greeting.

Pall bearers were Nilus Ihle, Kenneth Ihle, Vernon Ullestad, Gaylord Johnson, Otis Frette and Myron Rod. Burial was in the Story City Municipal Cemetery.

Lillian Mildred Carlsen was born Aug. 31, 1899 at New Richland, Minn. to John and Dena Querna. She was confirmed at the Palestine Lutheran Church on the Iowa-Minnesota border near Ceylon, and was schooled at Ceylon. She graduated from Mankato Business College, and then complete studies at the McPhail Music Conservatory in Minneapolis.

On Aug. 15, 1925 she was united in marriage to Samuel Carlsen at the Palestine Church. They both taught at Waldorf College, Forest City, the two years thereafter. Mrs. Carlsen was a violinist with orchestra and string groups in St. Paul and Chicago, but after a serious accident and surgery on her arm in 1936, she was unable to play violin. She then taught piano at Augustus Academy at Canton, S.D., and continued private teaching the past decade.

She served congregations with her husband in St. Paul, Minn.; Chicago, Ill.; Crystal Lake, Story City and Gilbert. Upon leaving Story City-Gilbert parishes, Pastor Carlsen became the president of Augustana Academy and later, assistant to the president of Augustana College at Sioux Falls.

Their last post before beginning retirement was originating director of the Riverside Center at Spokane, Wash. In 1951, Rev. and Mrs. Carlsen accepted the invitation of the Norwegian Mission Federation to preach and travel throughout Norway and accept the thanks from the Norwegian people for help given by Norwegian-American congregations during and after World War II.

They re-established their home at Story City inn 1971. Lillian was a resident of Bethany Manor when she passed away on Nov. 7 at the Story City Memorial Hospital.

She was preceded in death by her parents, one brother, and by her husband on Oct. 15, 1976.

She is survived by a daughter, Sonja Egenes, of Story City; one grandson, Jay Egenes who attends Luther College at Decorah, Iowa; and two sisters: Gladys Biorn of Mesa, Ariz., and Phyllis Draheim of Waseca, Minn.