The Funeral Service for Irene M. Jorgenson, 96, former Ellendale and
Albert Lea
resident
will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, August 26, 2010 at the
First
Lutheran
Church
in Albert Lea.
The Reverend Dan Baker will officiate.
Interment will be in
Hillcrest
Cemetery
.
Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday at Bonnerup Funeral
Service,
Albert Lea
, and one hour before the service at the church.
Irene was born on July 25, 1914, in
Emmons
,
Minnesota
, the daughter of Cornelius and
Matilda “Tillie” (Olson) Qualey.
She attended school in
Nevis
,
Minnesota
and later graduated from
Albert Lea
High School
.
After high school she began working at Wilson and Co. and became a very
integral part of the Teamsters Union.
She was honored with the title of Miss Albert Lea which
allowed her to travel all around the
United States
.
As a young woman she enjoyed
dancing, playing softball, basketball, was in a number of Community Theater plays, and
played Hawaiian guitar on the radio.
She married Howard F. “Jurgy” Jorgenson on June 17, 1939, in Albert Lea.
Early in WWII she worked as a welder on a big ship in
California
.
When Jurgy got
drafted they
returned to
Albert Lea
and in 1950 they bought a farm near Ellendale,
where they worked and continued to raise their family.
She was active in the
Farmers
Union
, sold Amway for more than 30 years and was an avid gardener.
Irene died on Saturday, August 21, at her daughter’s home in
Minneapolis
.
The family has grateful hearts for the special tender loving care given by her friend and nurse Connie Boerger.
Irene will be greatly missed by her five daughters:
Fran Strodtman of
Isanti
,
MN
,
Mary R (Dwight) DeMaine, of
Minneapolis
,
MN
, Carol (Larry) Spear of
Granada
,
MN
, Susan G. Jorgenson of
Isanti
,
MN
, and Lori
(Teague Brennan) Jorgenson
of St. Paul; grandchildren: Julie (Todd) Cveykus, Lisa (Mike) Lindgren, Roger Strodtman, Brian (Cathy) Spear, Derek (Sarah) Spear, Beau (Kim) Spear, Farrah (Jason) Olson, Jessica Arnold and Tiernan Brennan-Jorgenson; great grandchildren: Emily (Brandon) Boettcher, Kelly (Adam) Huntley, Courtney Cveykus, Joshua (Beth) Shugren, Dustin Shugren, Ashley and Noah Lindgren, Mason and Nicholas Strodtman, Cole, Jesse, Zachary, Taylor, Alexander, Abbigail, Devyn, Casha, Carter, and Ashton Spear, Brynn Olson, Rob Gonzalez; great great grandchildren: Lillah, Quentin, Tristan Boettcher, Parker, Camden, and Francis Shugren; sister Mildred Sigurdson of Albert Lea; brother
George (Bonnie) Qualley of Des Moines, IA; by friends Carol Olson, De Weber, Jim Arnold,
Sue Enright and her nursing home friends Carol Brockner, Laura Carlson, and Linda Fredrickson.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Howard in 2007, great grandson
Jacob, brothers Harry,
Chester
, Spencer, Melvin and Lyle.
Mom, you sang to us, you told us stories, you cleaned, cooked, gardened and loved us
unconditionally your entire life.
For this we are so grateful.
Who could want
a better Mom than that?
