Elsie L. Rosendahl

Elsie L. Rosendahl, age 89, of Decorah, Iowa, died Wednesday evening, May 18, 2016 at Wellington Place in Decorah. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at Burr Oak Lutheran Church in Burr Oak, with the Rev. Matt Larson officiating. Burial will be in Burr Oak Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Monday, May 23 at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah, and on Tuesday beginning at 10:00 a.m., one hour before the service, at Burr Oak Lutheran Church. Elsie Lavonne (Moen) Rosendahl was born on September 25, 1926, in Decorah, Iowa, the daughter of August and Marie (Bakke) Moen. Elsie became a child of God through her baptism and confirmation at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church. She graduated from Decorah High School with the class of 1944. On April 21, 1946, Elsie was united in marriage with Merlin (Mert) P. Rosendahl at First Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa. To this union was born three sons and a daughter: Gerald, Harold, Marc and Merlene. Elsie attended Luther College and briefly taught country school at Horgen School in Madison Township. She was home with the children until all were in school, then worked at the Burr Oak Mercantile before securing a Cook job at North Winneshiek School. She worked nearly 20 years at North Winneshiek before retiring in 1989. Elsie was a member of Burr Oak Lutheran Church and for a very long time was actively involved in WELCA, as historian for a period of time, Circle, and sharing her talents particularly during “do-days” when making quilts and other needlework. Elsie was the Burr Oak Correspondent for the Decorah Newspaper for many years, submitting stories about the happenings of area residents. She was a talented crafter and cook/baker, and she enjoyed golfing. But family was most important. When Elsie was 85, she moved into an Assisted Living Apartment at Wellington Place. She thoroughly enjoyed her apartment and all the activities like her walk group, bingo, and crafting. After some trouble with her heart and worsening dementia, she moved to the nursing home side for the last year and a half of her life. Survivors include her three sons – Gerald, and his wife Jackie, of Hastings, MN; Harold and his wife Marlys of Cresco, IA; Marc and his wife Kathy of Burr Oak; her daughter Merlene, and husband Wally Brown, of Burr Oak; eleven grandchildren – Tina (RJ) Schmitz, Tammi (Mike) Brochman, Kari (Roger) Ferrie, Jodi Rosendahl (friend Ben Ahrens), Derek (Becca) Rosendahl, Todd Rosendahl (David Buck), Misti (Ryan) Shawver, Kyle (Katie) Rosendahl, Erin (David) Lenninger, Anthony (Tara) Brown, Andrew (fiancé Kylie Kruse) Brown; nineteen great grandchildren – Laura “Lizzie”, Heather “Anne”, and Jacob Reinardy, Jessica, Holly, and Noah Goetzke, Max Brochman, Austin, Megan, and Peyton Ferrie, Jack and Madison Shawver, Cayla and Carly Rosendahl, Kate, Collin, and Ayden Lenninger, and Quinn and Alexa Brown; and by her sisters-in-law, Hazel Gullickson of Decorah and Margaret Moen of Brockville, Ontario, Canada. She was preceded in death by her parents August and Marie; her husband Mert on March 6, 1991; her brothers, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Kenneth and Virginia Moen, John Moen, and James and Sharon Moen, Chuck and Martha Rosendahl, and Howard Gullickson.