Jennie Skjeveland

Published 12:00 am Monday, October 5, 2009

Jennie Ruth Skjeveland, age 102 of Austin, Minn. died Friday night, Oct. 2,  2009, at the Good Samaritan Center in St. Ansgar, Iowa. 

She was born Dec. 15, 1906, at home in Austin, the daughter of Hans Jacob and Gensena Martha (Wangen) Jorgenson. She attended school in Austin and helped her family in their truck gardening business, supplying fresh vegetables to local grocery stores. On March 6, 1928, she was united in marriage to Bernie Herbert Skjeveland in Northwood, Iowa. The couple lived in Mankato, Minn. during the early years of their marriage and then returned to the Austin area. Bernie died on Dec. 19, 2001. 

Jennie lived in her own home until the age of 101, when she moved to the Good Samaritan Center in St. Ansgar, Iowa in July of 2008.  Jennie loved music, especially playing the piano and singing. She enjoyed drawing, dancing, doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles and watching soap operas. 

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Jennie was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bernie H. Skjeveland; a son, Lionel in 1934; two grandsons in infancy, twins, Bryan and Wayne Skjeveland; two granddaughters, Dawn Skjeveland and Sandra Finley; a great-grandson, Christian Skjeveland; a son-in-law, Mike Deyo; a granddaughter-in-law, Cindy Skjeveland; four brothers, John, Hank, Martin and Roy Jorgenson and three sisters, Martha “Minni” Rheim, Hannah Gahagen and Evelyn Rogers.

Survivors include five sons, Lowell “Sonny/Moe” (Kathy) Skjeveland of Austin, Eugene “Chip” (Elaine) Skjeveland of Rochester, Darrell “Red” (Janet) Skjeveland of Faribault, Hugh “Ole” (Linda) Skjeveland of Sunrise Beach, Mo., Leslie “Les” (Carmen) Skjeveland of San Antonio, Texas; three daughters, Lorraine “Joan” Deyo of Austin, Sharon “Cherry/Sherry” (Richard) Waller of Austin and Carol “Cooky” (Lawrence “Larry”) Bruggeman of St. Ansgar, Iowa; 24 grandchildren, 46 great grandchildren, and 13 great-great grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, at the Worlein Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Lydia Mittag officiating. Interment will follow the service at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6th at the Worlein Funeral Home. Honorary casket bearer will be Leslie Skjeveland and casket bearers will be Lowell Skjeveland, Eugene Skjeveland, Darrell Skjeveland, Hugh Skjeveland, Richard Waller and Larry Bruggeman. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com.