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Louise Mortenson

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Louise Mortenson
March 19, 1930 • May 19, 2016
Louise Mortenson, 86, formerly of Granite Falls, died Thursday, May 19, 2016 in Breckenridge.  Funeral services were held Saturday, May 28 at 3 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church.  Burial was held in Mound Cemetery in Ortonville.  Visitation was held one hour prior to services at the church.  
Louise Charlotte Mortenson was born March 19, 1930 to Benjamin and Dora (Brandt) LaCombe at the family farmstead in Lac Qui Parle County, Minnesota that is now the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge.  She passed away May 19, 2016 at St. Francis Nursing Home in Breckenridge, Minnesota.
Louise was baptized and confirmed into the Christian faith at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ortonville.  She attended and graduated from Ortonville Public School.
September 23, 1951, she was united in marriage to Virgil Arcade Mortenson, from Correll.  They were blessed with two sons. They lived and farmed near their home on the LaCombe family farm.  She also worked at Monarch Foods in Ortonville.
In 1962, they moved to the Mortenson family farm to help Virgil’s parents with the farm.  They lived there until 1970, when the family moved to Benson.  While living in Benson, Louise worked at the Red Owl grocery store.   
In 1978, Virgil and Louise moved to Granite Falls.  Louise worked in the kitchen at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, and then she took a position as a custodian, where she worked for the next 20 years.  She thoroughly enjoyed her job because she liked working with the staff, instructors and the students.  
Louise always made time to help friends and relatives in need.  She would grocery shop for friends that couldn’t get out. She didn’t mind driving far to help.  She instilled this drive to help others in their sons and their sons’ families. She enjoyed working on family history on her computer and emailing friends and tending her flower garden and feeding the wild birds (she hated the squirrels that ate the bird food).
Louise was a lifelong member of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church wherever she lived, doing whatever volunteer jobs that needed doing.  She was a member of the LWML and taught Sunday School for many years.  She was the head of the Altar Guild at St Paul Lutheran for years.  She was a reliable and valued helper to several pastors, and beloved as a friend of many fellow members.
Louise is survived by her sister Dorothy (Vincent) Tillman of Big Stone, South Dakota;  her sons - Jerry (Kathy) Mortenson of St. Charles, Missouri and Brian (Sue) Mortenson of Wahpeton, North Dakota;  grandsons:  John (McKayla) Mortenson of Mandan, North Dakota,  Adam Mortenson of Valley City, North Dakota and Matthew (Katie) Mortenson of Byron;  three step-grandchildren: Steven (Susan) Lindenberg of Springfield, Missouri, Rev David (Amy) Lindenberg of Rapid City, South Dakota and Julie (Matthew) Ballard of St. Peters, Missouri; five step great grandchildren:  Jacob and Gretchen (David) Lindenberg, Hannah and Maya (Julie) Ballard and Emma (Steven) Lindenberg; and several nieces and nephews.
Louise was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband Virgil in 2009.
Arrangements were with the Wing-Bain Funeral Home of Granite Falls.

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