Sersland, Grace Mercedes (Monserud) -- 1919 - 2011
SERSLAND, MONSERUD, HUNSTAD, LARSON, BOTTOLFSON, BOSIER, BIGLER, VEEDER, ROONEY, ROBINSON, PARKS, VEEDAHL, SCHNOEBELEN, BURGESS
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 7/17/2012 at 17:24:36
Grace M. Sersland, age 91, of Decorah, IA, died Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at Wellington Place in Decorah.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Monday, May 9, 2011 at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church in rural Decorah with Rev. Mark Kvale officiating. Burial will be in Washington Prairie Lutheran Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3:00-6:00 P.M. Sunday, May 8 at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah and after 10:00 A.M. Monday, one hour before the service at the church.
Grace Mercedes (Monserud) Sersland was born on May 7, 1919 in Taylor Township, Allamakee County, near Harpers Ferry, Iowa. She was born on the homestead of her great-grandparents, Niels and Maren Louise (Larson) Bottolfson. Grace’s parents were William O. and Mabel (Hunstad) Monserud. She was baptized on June 22, 1919 and confirmed on August 5, 1933 at the East Evangelical Synod Lutheran Church near Waterville, Iowa. She attended the Excelsior District No. 6 School in Taylor Township through the eighth grade and graduated from Waterville High School in May of 1937. She was a graduate of the Dubuque, Iowa Cosmetology College in September of 1940. For 3½ years Grace was employed at and managed the Mariposa Beauty Shop in Waukon, Iowa.
On October 15, 1943 Grace was married to Rudolph M. Sersland at East Paint Creek Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waterville, Iowa. Rudolph and Grace farmed on Section 18 in Frankville Township until his death on February 13, 1983. They were the parents of five children: Leslie, Colleen, Eunice, Daniel and Michael.
Grace’s interests have always been nature, music, reading, writing and driving to visit cousins and friends in Allamakee County. She enjoyed family and church history and has done an abundance of research in her later years, enjoying immensely meeting and getting to know many people and relations of her parents and grandparents. She was instrumental in organizing several family reunions.
Grace was the Washington Prairie area news correspondent for Decorah Newspapers for 16 years as a service to the community. She was also a caregiver when needed. She was a member of Washington Prairie Lutheran Church and American Lutheran Church Women’s Group. She enjoyed Search Bible Studies, taught Sunday School and Bible School. She served as A.L.C.W. Stewardship Officer and Bible Leader.
Grace enjoyed helping her children and grandchildren with their interests and school projects. She raised flowers and gardens from the time she was a girl and loved to hike in the woods looking for wildflowers and bittersweet.
Grace was preceded in death by her parents, William & Mabel Monserud; her husband, Rudolph; one brother, Wesley Monserud; one sister, Edna Bosier; and seven siblings who died in infancy.
Grace is survived by her five children: Leslie Sersland of Decorah, IA, Colleen (David) Bigler of Decorah, IA, Eunice (James) Veeder of Decorah, IA, Daniel Sersland of Pompano Beach, FL and Michael Sersland of Decorah, IA; her eight grandchildren: Annette (David) Rooney, Matthew (Shelley) Bigler, Brian (Kristin) Bigler, Amy (Jerald) Robinson, Rachel (Jason) Parks, Nathan (Shannon Salmon) Veeder, Tobias (Lisa Angelella) Veeder and Timothy (Leslie) Veedahl; 21 great-grandchildren; two sisters: Edith (Clayton) Schnoebelen of Cedar Rapids, IA and Nora Ann Burgess of Marion, IA; and one sister-in-law, Jean Monserud of Waukon, IA.
Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database
Washington Prairie Lutheran Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen