Gena J. Casterton

Gena J. Casterton, age 91 of Decorah, Iowa, died peacefully, surrounded by family, on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at Wellington Place in Decorah. Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Sunday, March 6, 2011 at Hesper Lutheran Church in rural Decorah with Rev. Matt Larson officiating. Burial will be in Hesper Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3:00-5:00 P.M. Saturday, March 5 at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah and on Sunday one hour before the service at the church. Gena Josephine Rauk was born on June 13, 1919 in Spring Grove, Minnesota, the daughter of Henry and Theoline (Kolsrud) Rauk. She was baptized and confirmed at the Faith Lutheran Church, rural Black Hammer, Minnesota. Gena attended the rural school in Black Hammer Township through 8th grade and graduated from Spring Grove High School in 1937. She graduated from Winona State Teacher’s College in 1939 after student teaching in a 1 room school in Pickwick, Minnesota. She taught school for 2 years in a one room school in rural Black Hammer with 28 pupils in grades 1-8. Gena was united in marriage with Norman Leslie Casterton on August 16, 1941 at the Mabel-Hesper Lutheran Parsonage. They spent all of their married life on a farm in Highland Township. This union was blessed with 3 sons: William, Robert, & Charles. After the boys graduated from high school, Gena was a teacher’s aide for 4 years at the Hesper School and 3 years at the Decorah Elementary School. But her real job for her entire married life was being a “Farmer’s Aide”. Gena was a member of the Hesper Lutheran Church, rural Decorah, where she taught Sunday School for 14 years, and was a member of the Charity Circle and WELCA. She enjoyed helping with the church activities, especially preparing quilt tops to assemble for Missions. Gena spent much of her last few years cutting squares, sewing them together, and preparing lap robes and quilt tops to be made into quilts for the needy at the church do-day. In August of 2004, Gena moved to the Arland Falck Assisted Living in Decorah where she enjoyed spending time with her friends and sewing on her quilt projects. She especially enjoyed spending time with her family and visits with her grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Gena is survived by her three sons: William (Elizabeth) of Angier, NC, Robert (Sylvia) of Readlyn, IA, and Charles (Mary) of Decorah, IA; six grandchildren: Alex Casterton, Chanhassen, MN, Kristin (Matt) Petersen, Clifton Park, NY, Jennifer (Scott) Nelson, West Des Moines, IA, Terri Casterton, Denver, CO, Nicholas Casterton (fiancée Laura Kenady), New Prague, MN, and James (Karla) Casterton, Davenport, IA; three great- grandchildren: Andrew and Michael Nelson and Emmaline Petersen; and by several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Norman, on January 11, 1994: two sisters Edna Larson and Melpha Johnson; one brother Paul Rauk; two brothers-in-law: Arthur Larson and Leonard Johnson; and one sister-in-law, Josie Rauk.