Eleanor "Ella" J. Halverson
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Ella Halverson, age 98, of Northfield, passed away peacefully Thursday morning, June 30, 2022, at Evergreen Lodge on the Northfield Retirement Community Campus.
Eleanor Johanna "Ella" Halverson was born at home in Webster, Minnesota, on September 13, 1923, to Paul and Marie (Oldenberg) Meinke. She attended St. John's School until 8th grade and graduated from New Prague High School in 1941. Following her education, she moved to St. Paul to work for Western Electric. Coming home on weekends, she met the "milkman", Norman Halverson, and they married on September 16, 1950, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Northfield. After marriage they lived in Webster until moving to Northfield in 1955.
Ella was a homemaker until her children were older; then became a cook at Northfield High School. After retiring, she began her favorite career: babysitting her grandchildren twice a week. She would drive to Minneapolis, and later to Bloomington with Norman to be there to put them on the bus, take them to sports and piano lessons, play with them and take them to Dairy Queen! This commitment led to a strong relationship with her grandchildren, as well as the famous Friday Night Happy Hours (drinks and supper) which have been taking place regularly in this family for more than 30 years. They continue to this day!
Ella was a kind, gentle, giving woman of Faith. She was committed to her family, Church and friends. She always offered to help and left every place better than she found it. She was active, curious and interested in everything - taking up golf in her 70's, reading, going to events and taking trips with her children and grandkids. In her '80's she baked cookies at the Senior Center for "the old people" and in her '90's she volunteered at the "Used A Bit" shop.
We are grateful for her long life, a life well lived, and her many friends and visitors. The family wishes to thank the staff at the Northfield Retirement Community for their loving care of Ella after her move there in 2016, during the challenges and isolation of covid, and particularly these past months at Evergreen Lodge. They are the best!
Survivors include her children: Sherie Swanson (Gary Mrachek) of Minneapolis, Randy Halverson of Burnsville, Nancy (Mike) Norton of Bloomington; three grandchildren: Elise (Lucas) Smith, Samuel (Amber) Swanson, and Eva Norton (Conor Parsley); four great-grandchildren: Gavin, Eliza, Damien and Emily, and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Norman, her sister Dorothy, and brothers Wilford and Richard.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Northfield. Interment will take place at St. John's Cemetery in Webster. Visitation will be from 9:30 AM until the time of the service at the Church.
In lieu of flowers, Memorials are preferred to the Employee Assistance Fund at Northfield Retirement Community, Trinity Lutheran Church in Northfield, or the Trondhjem Community Preservation Society. biermanfuneralhome.com