Thelma Thorson

Thelma Thorson, age 88, of Decorah, Iowa, died on Friday, June 16, 2006, at the Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, following a short illness. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 20, 2006 at the Waterloo Ridge Lutheran Church, rural Dorchester, Iowa, with Rev. Allen E. Hermeier officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call from 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Monday at the Schluter – Balik Funeral Home in Decorah and after 10:00 a.m. at the church on Tuesday morning. Thelma Florence (Folkedahl) Thorson was born on January 18, 1918, the daughter of Nels and Marie (Gaare) Folkedahl at the family home in the Woolen Mills on Bear Creek, near Quandahl, Iowa. She was baptized and confirmed at the Waterloo Ridge Lutheran Church. As a young lady, she did housekeeping for area families. Thelma married Ernest Thorson on September 21, 1935 at the Waterloo Ridge Lutheran Church. They lived and worked near Spring Grove, then moving to the Decorah and Burr Oak areas. Thelma was a loving and devoted wife, mother and caregiver. She enjoyed music, flower gardening, reading and doing embroidery. Thelma was a member of the Waterloo Ridge Lutheran Church and the Ladies Aide at the Burr Oak Lutheran Church. Thelma’s survivors include her eight children: Evelyn (Roger) Bigler, Decorah, IA; Janice (Howard) Holten, Cedar Rapids, IA; Nathan (Sandra) Thorson, Cresco, IA; Phylliss (Richard) Blaess, Burr Oak, IA; Arthur (Linda) Thorson, Plover, WI; Katherine Thorson, Decorah, IA; Elton (Vicki) Thorson, Decorah, IA and Cheryl (Steven) McConnell, Decorah, IA; twenty-six grandchildren; fifty-eight great grandchildren; four step-great grandchildren and seven great great grandchildren. Thelma was preceded in death by her parents: Nels and Marie Folkedahl; her husband, Ernest Thorson on July 7, 1995. Five brothers: Arthur, Olaf, Andrew, Edward and Norton Folkedahl and two brothers in infancy: Nels Arthur and Henry Gilman Folkedahl. Two sisters: Henrietta Drievold and Janet Thorson. Three grandsons: Tony Lee Holten, Rodney Bigler and Baby Boy Bigler. Two great great grandsons: Levi Thorson and Jonathan Zweibohmer.