Rosella M. (Hillmer) Gramstad

Rosella M. (Hillmer) Gramstad, 87, of Clarion passed away Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at the Clarion Wellness and Rehabilitation Center.

Funeral services for Rosella Gramstad will be held on Monday, June 16, 2014 at 10:30 AM at the First Lutheran Church in Clarion with Pastor Daniel Hart officiating.  Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery in Clarion.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 15, 2014 from 5:00-7:00 PM at the Ewing Funeral Home, 1801 Central Avenue East in Clarion and will continue one hour prior to the services at the church on Monday.

Rosella May (Hillmer) Gramstad was born July 25, 1926 in Ellington Township, Palo Alto County, Iowa, the fourth child of August and Rose (Krieg) Hillmer.  She attended country school at Ellington Township near Mallard, Iowa for 8 years and graduated from Mallard High School in 1943.

Rosella was married to Raymond Merle Gramstad on June 29, 1947 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mallard.  They lived and worked in the Luverne, Minnesota area where their daughter Beverly Ann was born.

In 1949, they moved to a farm northeast of Mallard in Grant Township.  While living there, four additional children were born to them in Emmetsburg: Gloria Jean, Kenneth Paul, Gerald Allan, and Sharon Elaine.  Ray’s job led them to locate to Lee Center, Illinois in 1963 where they lived until moving to Clarion, Iowa in 1967.

Rosella worked as a bookkeeper at Van Raden Manufacturing and at Hermie Nelson Ford in Clarion.  She also helped with their furniture business, Cornelia Furniture, at Lake Cornelia.  After Ray passed away in 2011, Rosella moved to The Meadows Independent Living in Clarion on January 5, 2013.

Rosella was a member of First Lutheran Church in Clarion where she was active in the FLCW women’s group.  She participated in Bible studies and also tied quilts and crocheted and knitted baby caps and sweaters for Lutheran World Relief.  As a member and treasurer of Wright County Genealogical Searchers, she did research for many people and contributed to the Clarion Memorial Library’s book of obituaries from the Wright County newspapers.  She enjoyed being a part of the local Knit Wits group and doing many types of handwork.

Rosella’s mother, Rose, loved flowers and so named her three daughters after flowers.  Rosella continued that love with many houseplants and outdoor flower gardens.

Rosella is lovingly remembered by her children Beverly (Daniel) Hart of Boyden, Gloria (Brian) Moudry of New Hampton, Kenneth of New Ulm, Minnesota, Gerald (Carol) of Rock Rapids, and Sharon Rink of Ames; 13 grandchildren, Eric (Stacy) Hart of Rochester, Minnesota, Neal (Rachel) Hart of San Diego, California, Amber (Kevin) Stull of San Diego, California, Kristen (Jack) Ward of Ankeny, Jill (Greg) Joyner of Mason City, Scott Moudry of Sarasota, Florida, Paul Gramstad of Mankato, Minnesota, Dustin Gramstad of Moorhead, Minnesota, Tracy (Michael) Ranweiler of Gibbon, Minnesota, Angella (Michael) Warntjes of McKinney, Texas, Amy (Eric) Sprock of Rock Rapids, Tiffany (Sam) Arnold of Indianola, Lance Rink of Ft Collins, Colorado, and 16 great-grandchildren.

Other survivors include siblings Lyle Hillmer of Lawrence, Kansas, Stanley (Ann) Hillmer of Spencer, and Ronald Hillmer of Mallard, and many nieces and nephews.

Rosella was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Raymond in 2011, and sisters Violet Koepsell and Gladys Shepherd.