Thief River Falls - Viola Grimstad, 89, died Friday, April 3, 1998 at the CNC Unit of Northwest Medical Center in Thief River Falls.
Funeral services will be held at 12 p.m. today (Wednesday, April 8) at Our Saviour's Free Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls with Pastors Terry Olson and Les Galland officiating. The organist will be Wanda Vigness, and special music will be provided by Solveig Swenson. Casketbearers will be Dean Seaver Jr., Larry Seaver, Phillip Erickson, Clem Erickson, Harold Erickson and Eugene Bergh. Burial will be in the Free Lutheran Church Cemetery in Mentor.
Visitation was held from noon until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7 at the Green Funeral Home in Thief River Falls with a 7 p.m. prayer service Tuesday evening and for one hour prior to services at the church on Wednesday.
Viola Eveline Galland was born on September 24, 1908 in Mentor, the daughter of Orin and Stena (Strand) Galland. She was baptized and confirmed at Faith Lutheran Church of Mentor. She attended public school in Mentor and grew to adulthood in that area. Following high school, Viola attended Bemidji State College. After teaching at a rural school near Mentor for three years, she completed her education at Moorhead State University. She then taught for several years at Cyrus and for a short time at Benson.
On June 10, 1933 Viola was united in marriage to J. Arthur Grimstad at Mentor. The couple lived in the communities of Cyrus, St. James, Waseca and Benson. Following her husband's retirement from the Benson Public School System, the couple moved to Thief River Falls. Arthur died on January 3, 1990.
Viola was active in and served as president of the Women's Missionary Fellowship at the Evangelical Free Church in Benson. She was also a Sunday school teacher and was involved with many other church activities. Her husband served as lay pastor at Our Saviour's Free Association Church in Thief River Falls from 1983 until 1989.
Viola is survived by two daughters, Ruth (Dean) Seaver of LeSueur and Judy (Tom) Ebright of Glenview, IL; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one sister, Berdie (Raymond) Erickson of Ada; one brother Wilson (Clara) Galland of Mentor; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband; one son, Jason in 1992; her parents; two sisters, Nellie Bergh and Clara Bouffleur; and two brothers, Chester Galland and Raymond Galland.