Edna Dingwall, 91

Edna Alida Dingwall, 91, died November 13, 2009. She had been a resident at St. William’s Living Center in Parkers Prairie since 2002. She had sold her home in Benson and moved to Bethel Manor in Alexandria in 2000.

Edna was born April 9, 1918 to Bennett and Maria Tollefson on their family farm seven miles west of Lowry. She was confirmed at Nora Lutheran Church on October 25, 1931.

Edna attended country school during her elementary years. She contracted spinal meningitis as a young child, so while the rest of the family ran the family farm, Edna lived with her Uncle Tom in Kensington and ended up being the only one from her family to graduate from high school.

She furthered her education at the Sister Kinney Institute and the Minneapolis School of Business.

She was united in marriage to Donald Dingwall on February 6, 1943. They lived in Minneapolis until 1948 and then moved to Lowry, where Edna worked as a telephone operator.

They had two sons, Douglas (10-13-49) and Thomas (4-9-55). They moved to Benson in the early 1950s. Donald passed away in 1956 when Tom was 11 months old. While raising her two boys, Edna did daycare in her home. After Tom graduated in 1973, she started working at the Swift County Courthouse and retired from there at age 75.

Edna loved her job at the courthouse in Benson, but decided it was time to retire when everything became “computerized.” She made the comment that she was too old to learn all that stuff! Edna was very active at Our Redeemer’s Church in Benson, and her favorite activity there was quilting. Although she never remarried, she had a wonderful group of “widowed friends” who had a lot of fun together.

Edna especially loved spending time with her family. Up until the time she could not leave the nursing home anymore, she only missed one Christmas Eve on the family farm – due to a snowstorm. She loved when the grandkids came to visit her, and thoroughly enjoyed giving her great-grandkids rides on her wheelchair. Edna’s witty sense of humor and feistiness will be missed by everyone, but especially by the staff at St. William’s who were all so very kind to her these past seven years.

Edna was preceded in death by her parents, Bennett and Maria; sisters, Olga, Gertie and Margaret, brother, Oswald and an infant brother.

She is survived by her sons, Douglas of Denver, CO and Tom (Kim) of Brandon; grandchildren, Dana, Donald, Deanna, Lisa and Jon; great-grandchildren, Cassidy, Madison, Riley, Kylee, Taylor, Jon Jr. and Evan; three nieces, Jane, Bonnie and Betty and all their families.

Funeral services were held on Monday, November 16 at Nora Lutheran Church in rural Kensington with the Rev. Dennis Preston officiating. Music was provided by organist Marlene Maanum and soloist Jennifer Maloney. Interment was at the church cemetery with Jon Dingwall, Jerry Cronen, Eric Cronen, Todd Muller, Adam Slagter and Carlton Wrolson serving as pallbearers.

Arrangements are with Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria; www.andersonfuneral.net.

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