Doris Arvidson

Doris M. Arvidson, age 91, of Parkers Prairie, died Saturday, March 16, 2013, at St. William's Living Center in Parkers Prairie.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m., Thursday, March 21, 2013, at Esther Lutheran Church in rural Parkers Prairie with Rev. Jeanette Bidne officiating. Music will be provided by organist, Marcia Guenther, violinist, Anna Guenther and vocalists, Sara O'Neal, Rachel Denny and LaDean Moen. Burial will be at the church cemetery.

Visitation will take place 4-7 p.m., Wednesday at Lind Family Funeral Home in Parkers Prairie and continue one hour prior to the service at church.

Doris Muriel Arvidson was born May 6, 1921, to Clarence and Emma (Rusten) Rambow in Raymond, Minnesota. Shortly afterwards, they moved to Alexandria. She attended country school and graduated from Central High School in Alexandria in 1939. She was very active in 4-H in Douglas County. Doris met her future husband, Elvin Arvidson, when he came to sell Surge milking machines to her dad. They were married August 10, 1941, at the Methodist Church in Alexandria. Following their marriage they lived and worked on the home farm in Eastern Township, near Parkers Prairie, until retirement. They were both very active in Esther Lutheran Church, Eastern Stars 4-H Club and rural Joy School. Following their retirement, they bought an Airstream Trailer and traveled all over the United States with the travel club. They spent many delightful winters in Weslaco, Texas where they made many, many friends. Doris was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed teaching her daughters and granddaughters to sew. She also made beautiful quilts for high school graduations and weddings, until macular degeneration prevented her from sewing. Doris was very proud of her Norwegian heritage. She learned to make lefse from her mother and taught three generations of her family to make it, too. Her husband, Elvin died in 2001. It was then she made the decision to move into the McCornell Court Assisted Living apartments in Parkers Prairie. She loved being around all the people who lived there, or came to visit. After she could no longer live alone, she moved to St. William's Living Center.

Doris is survived by her two daughters, Barbara (Bob) Nelson of St. Cloud and Janet (Randy) Gilbertson of Alexandria; son, James (Linda) Arvidson of Parkers Prairie; six grandchildren, Tara (Greg) Wenner, Sara (Patrick) O'Neal, Cami (Grant) Pexsa, David (Mandy) Arvidson, Erik (Amy) Gilbertson and Rachel (Derek) Denny; 12 great-grandchildren, Mitchel, Macie and Maura Wenner, Gavin and Ali Pexsa, Isaac and Adam Grabow, Miles and Sophia O'Neal, Anders Gilbertson, and Emma and Elliott Arvidson; sister, Margaret (Roger) Granlund of Alexandria; sister-in-law, Shirley Arvidson of Little Falls; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; sister, Phyllis Johnson; and brother, Harold Rambow.

Pallbearers are Don Johnson, Darwin Johnson, Darrell Johnson, Craig Granlund, Shelly Bjork, Terry Arvidson, Mitchel Wenner and Eugene Arvidson. Honorary pallbearers are her grandchildren.

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