Swanson Peterson Funeral Home

Mildred Martha Morris, age 89, Cokato, died Friday, April 1, 2011, at Providence Place Center in Minneapolis.

She was born March 10, 1922, in Dassel, to Charles and Hilda (Harkanen) Tormanen.

Mildred grew up north of Dassel on a farm near Big Swan Lake, and attended Big Swan Country School through eighth grade. She graduated from Litchfield High School in 1941.

Mildred was united in marriage to Alger Morris July 29, 1944. They lived the first few years in Dassel, and from there, farmed by Knapp, then Howard Lake, and West Albion. They moved to Cokato in 1963.

Mildred was a homemaker during her married life and helped out at the family grocery store. She enjoyed baking and spending time with her family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Alger; her parents, Charles and Hilda Tormanen; seven sisters; four brothers; one grandson; and one great-grandson.

Mildred is survived by 10 children: Myron (Laurie) of South Haven, Judy Hill (Calvin) of Plymouth, Jayne Holker (John) of Osseo, Kathy Kesti (David) of Cloquet, Shirley Strohschein (Bruce) of Shakopee, Cynthia of Edina, Vicky Janckila (Gary) of Cokato, Carolyn Compton (Kevin) of Darwin, Mary Piepgras (David), Bradley (Ruth Ann), all of Cokato; 41 grandchildren; and 50 great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by two sisters, Dorothy Raisanen and Lorraine (Robert) Torola; sister-in-law Hilda Jo Tormanen; brother-in-law Carl (Nora) Morris; and sister-in-law Elizabeth (Marvin) Johnson; along with a host of relatives, friends, and brothers and sisters in faith.

The funeral service took place Wednesday, April 6 at 11 a.m. at First Apostolic Lutheran Church of Dassel.

Visitation was Tuesday, April 5 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the church.

Arrangements were handled by Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home in Cokato.

Norma Lee Samuelson, age 78, of Cokato, died Friday, March 25, 2011, at Meeker County Memorial Hospital in Litchfield.

She was born April 6, 1932, in Minneapolis KS, to Vern and Verna (Disney) Johnson. Norma grew up there and graduated from Minneapolis High School in 1950.

After high school, Norma attended Brown-Mackie business school in Salina, KS.

As a young lady, she moved to Menahga, MN with her parents.

Norma married Raymond C. Samuelson June 7 1952. To their union, five sons and one daughter were born.

The couple farmed at Menahga on Ray’s home farm until 1966. They moved to West Concord, MN, where Ray was employed by Appliance and Refrigeration Company, and attended Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis.

In 1970, the family moved to Cokato; and in 1973, Ray and Norma opened their own business, Ray’s Refrigeration, which they operated until 1999. Norma was an intricate part of the business, putting her secretary and bookkeeping skills to work, as a full partner with Ray in the business.

Norma enjoyed sewing, fishing, gardening, and writing. Most of all, she enjoyed her family, and her dog, Nicky.

She was a member of the First Apostolic Lutheran Church of Cokato and Dassel.

Norma is survived by her children: Michael of Buffalo, Dennis (Linda), Jerry (Cecilia), David (Suzie), and Cindy (Melvin) Nowak, all of Cokato; 17 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Virginia Kelley of Minneapolis, KS.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ray; her parents, Vern and Verna Johnson; a son, Stephen; and a brother, Richard.

The funeral service took place Wednesday, March 30 at 2 p.m. at First Apostolic Lutheran Church of Dassel, with interment at Cokato Finnish Cemetery.

The Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home handled the arrangements.