Gwen Herrick

Gwenda Gayle Herrick (née Roseth) died peacefully on January 20, 2026, following a stroke. She is survived by two daughters, Dawn (Don) of North Oaks, MN and Dana of Sausalito, CA; two grandsons, Jake (Chloe) and Oskar (Taylor) both of the Twin Cities; and great granddaughter, Teddi. She was preceded in death by her husband, David; siblings, Lois and Mavis. 

Gwen was a retired Axtell Park English and Civics teacher, poet, creative flower arranger, bird and nature lover. She had a playful silly side and enjoyed gardening and visiting with friends and family. She and Dave took great pride in keeping their property impeccably maintained and enjoyed their home on the Sioux River. 

A celebration of her life will be held at Heritage Funeral Home on February 28 at 1 pm. All are welcome to attend. 

If you wish to make a donation in her name, please consider these organizations.  

ACLU

https://action.aclu.org/

National Audubon Society

https://act.audubon.org/a/donate

Eulogy for Gwen Herrick- by daughter, Dawn. 

The slideshow can be used by clicking on this link

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jE_yYy1F7OHxNS_mrYbU1BE8wcG3-qOB_8qkR87K9m8/edit?usp=sharing

I want to thank all of you for being here either in person, or joining us on Zoom. Your supportive presence is so appreciated. Also appreciated are the countless acts of support so many of you have provided over the past two years. We truly could not have done this without you. 

As I worked on my eulogy, it became so apparent to me just how much dementia had gradually changed Mom’s personality over the past 8 years. Join me now in a celebration of the Gwen we all knew before these gradual changes compounded these past few years..

Mom was a creative soul. She loved to sew and enjoyed making clothes for herself and Dana and I. She talked fondly about taking apart an old woman’s winter coat and making me a snow suit when I was a toddler. 

She had an attention to detail and loved to match plaids. She especially loved the Pendleton wool suit she made for herself. 

When they became empty nesters, one of her creative outlets became flowers. She maintained beautiful flower gardens, and many of you likely received dried or fresh flower arrangements from her at some point during these years. Sue and David, she thoroughly enjoyed making the dried flower bouquets for your wedding. 

Another creative passion Mom sustained throughout her life was writing. She wrote many eulogies expressing her love and appreciation for those who had passed on. I thought it would be fitting if she had a hand in writing her own eulogy by including some of her writing. I sense her essence in her writings.

Drying flowers and writing poetry too

Are things I’m compelled to do.

The flowers express what’s beauty to me;

While my feelings escape in the poetry.

I’m now daring to show my love of each.

Somehow, may you too feel their reach. 

Life’s unique to each of us.

Flowers and poems help when times are tough.

Bouquets, like poems, I need to give away.

If I keep looking at them, I feel dismay.

I move the words and flowers from here to there.

Just needing to let others know I care.

                                                          Gwen 11/1993

A legacy Mom and Dad left was a generational love and appreciation for nature. Mom loved to look at the changing sky and say, “It is an Ansel Adams day.” or look at some view in nature and say, “That would make a nice plaid.” 

Like Mom and Dad, both Dana and I revere nature and take great pleasure in being good stewards to the earth and are nourished by spending time enjoying the earth’s beauty. Jake and Oskar share this love as well, and little Teddi now asks to go outside, and enjoys their time at a county nature area near their house. 

In Gwen’s words…

Nature nurtures

Feeling the change in season

Watching the lighting change

Clouds rolling, darkening the sky

Changing in a wink of the eye…

Light shining through

Rain stopped with a lightened view

Birds returning after their winter retreat

Bluebirds checking houses-special treat. 

Spring brings renewal of winter’s grey…

There is beauty in each day.

The joy of nature — timeless.

                                                Gwen

Enjoy the sights and 

sounds of nature as

you follow your dreams

Wherever you go…

What ever you do…

Nature will surround you

Birds singing

 Flowers blooming

Landscape changing

Amazing

                                                Gwen

She never tired of the changing view outside of her kitchen window. 

Gwen loved being a grandmother. Jake still has the 6 page journal entry she shared with him that she had written when he was born. Her exuberance was palpable. She had a special bond with the boys when they were young. Oskar will carry on the tradition of hiding a little red lady bug for Teddi to find around the house. Both may find themselves writing letters to their children from the yard gnome who lives in the base of a tree in their yard as Grandma did for them. She was always game to snuggle and read and to take a walk to the river.

Gwen’s words

Grandma — Grandpa — wonderful new name

Creates a feeling hard to explain.

Connecting with a new generation

Finding joy beyond explanation

Carl Sandburg said, “If you have to explain it, it isn’t poetry.”

Grandparenting is beyond words — it is poetry.  

                                                                                      Gwen

Slides 17-23 in Eulogy Slide Show

Gathering with family and friends around their kitchen and dining tables was a big part of Mom and Dad’s lives. To the many Westovers who are here today, Mom and Dad often talked about how your Mom stepped in to be a mother figure to Dad after he lost his mom when she was just 56. They enjoyed keeping in touch with you all throughout the years. College friends, neighborhood friends, teaching friends, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins, you all gathered around their tables over the years and were an important part of their lives. Mom wrote the following poem that made me think of these gatherings.

Seasons

Autumn frost melting on the trees

sending leaves cascading to the ground

Transforming golden view to bare branches

against the blue autumn sky

Changing — instantly, beautifully.

Four family seasons gathered around 

 a potluck dinner… feasting…

 reminiscing… enjoying… connecting

Thinking how fast time goes by

  in the seasons of life.                 

                                                Gwen 10/08/2000

The spring after Dad died, a pair of bluebirds spent a lot of time very close to the house. Both Mom and I felt Dad’s soul was visiting us in one of these bluebirds. They had bluebird houses along the fence line and often lamented the fact that they hadn’t seen as many of late and that they were hard to catch a glimpse of because they were so far from the house. Mom said it felt like the bluebird was watching over her that spring.

Before she died, Mom said one night, “Dad knows” (She called Dave, “Dad” a lot.) and “I talked to Lois last night too. Did you tell Doug?” (Lois is her sister who had already passed.)

Death is a mystery, but I believe our souls live on and that Mom and Dad’s souls have reunited. As Mom’s favorite quote when asked if she wanted to listen to music or watch tv was, “The sounds of silence soothes my soul,” Let us end with a moment of silence to celebrate these departed souls whom we will greatly miss.