Le Ella Belle Mjoen, 84, passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones at her home in Owatonna, Minn., on July 8, 2010.
She began her incredible journey on March 12, 1926, on her parents’ farm in Pierce County, Neb. She was the older sister of Louise and Bud. Upon graduation from Osmond High School, Le Ella wanted to become a nurse but her parents, Roy Lee and Muriel
Belle Docken, wanted her to be a teacher. She attended Wayne State Teachers College in Wayne, Neb., and taught country school. After six years of teaching, Le Ella had saved enough money to put herself through nursing school at Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Yankton, S.D. After graduation, she worked as an instructor at Sacred Heart for a short while before becoming the college nurse at Wayne State. The last eighteen years of her nursing career was spent at St. Mark’s Lutheran Home as a charge nurse and a friend to all of the residents.
During her schooling at Sacred Heart, Le Ella met her future husband, Kenneth Mjoen, while she was selling tickets to a play. They were married on Aug. 10, 1952. During the course of 58 years, they raised one son, David, and three daughters, Lori, Becky, and Amy. Le Ella experienced the great joy of being a grandparent to Edward and Jacqueline, by her son David, and Emma, by her daughter, Lori, and son-inlaw, Rol Christianson. Her joy multiplied with the birth of her great-grandchildren, Ethan by Jacqueline and Skye by Edward.
Outside of her work and family, Le Ella was very involved in her church, holding many different positions within the church organization. She was also a Stephen Minister. One of her greatest achievements was traveling to Bogota, Columbia, as a delegate to the first women’s conference for the Lutheran Church in Columbia with the LIZWAN Ministry. She also traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota with her church, Trinity Lutheran. Le Ella was also active in Sons of Norway and other community programs. She also recently accomplished a life-long wish to see a Dogwood tree in bloom when she visited her son and his wife Gloria in Georgia this past spring.
Le Ella was intelligent, beautiful, loving, stubborn and filled with grace. She touched countless lives and brought joy with every smile. She will be missed by those who remain behind and embraced by those who preceded her.
Visitation will be at noon Monday July 12, 2010, followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, Minn.
Memorials will be donated to both LIZWAN and the Pine Ridge Ministry.