Barbara Ann Gerdes

Barbara A. Gerdes, age 75, of Villard, died on Sunday, May 29, 2022, surrounded by family at Galeon in Osakis.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Monday, June 27, 2022, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Villard with Rev. Ryan J. Pumphrey officiating. Interment will take place at Grove Lake Cemetery, rural Glenwood.

Visitation is 5-8 p.m., Sunday, June 26, 2022, at Lind Family Funeral Home in Alexandria and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church.

Barbara Ann was born the second of eight children, on November 19, 1946, to Nick and Dorothy (Gustaf) Theis in Slayton. She grew up on a farm in Slayton until 1953, when the family moved to farm in Westport. In 1956, they moved to Babbitt for a short time and returned to farm in Westport in 1961. Barbara graduated from Villard High School in 1964, and married her high school sweetheart, Lee Gerdes. Following their marriage, they moved to Minneapolis in 1965, where Barbara started working for Northwestern Bell as a telephone operator. She retired in 2000, as a Regional Vice President after 35 years of service with the telephone company.  Following retirement, she returned to Villard and began working for Tastefully Simple in 2002, until retiring in 2016.  Barbara enjoyed traveling, fishing, playing games like pegs and jokers, cards, bowling, horseshoes and yard work.

She is preceded in death by her parents; sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Clyde Kinnunen; husband; and sister-in-law, Lynda Theis.

Barbara is survived by her sons, Chris (Shelly) Gerdes of Monticello and Robert (Julie) Gerdes of Big Lake; sister, Janet Theis of Westport; brothers, Charlie (Pam Meyers) Theis of Alexandria, James (Sandy) Theis of Holland, Michigan, David Theis of Osakis, Thomas (Sue Hornick) Theis of Westport and Michael (Janice) Theis of Fountaintown, Indiana; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and cat, Dotty.

Urnbearers are Logan Gerdes, Kyle Gerdes, Joe Rose, and Nick Hazzard.  Honorary urnbearers are Jacob Rose and David Theis.