Lisa Holmberg

Holmberg, Lisa passed away from cancer, in her home, on May 9th. She will be forever missed by her husband David, children Nina and Ben, and scores of friends and extended family. She was predeceased by her parents, Mid and Chuck Lander of Marshalltown, Iowa. Lisa graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1977 and Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa in 1981 where she met her husband Dave. They married in '81 and moved to the Twin Cities. She loved working and felt fortunate to work in the publishing industry, where she was on the staff of the Twin Cities Reader, the Twin Cities Directory, Raising Minnesota, WHERE magazine and Skyway News, among others. She made many friends in the business and had loads of fun. She also became well connected in the fundraising community and became actively involved in numerous non-profit organizations. Lisa continually took on volunteer opportunities. Through these activities, she loved learning new things about the community and meeting people whom she might otherwise never have encountered. She was active in Edina ABC (A Better Chance); Concord Elementary (where she was president of its PTO); South View Middle School and Edina High School. Many of Lisa's first friends were from Chapter EK, PEO, in which she was one of its founding members. For six years she was a devoted member of the Sheltering Arms Foundation, and served as its president. She was a longtime member of WAMSO-Minnesota Orchestra Volunteer Association and also served as its president. Until her death she served on the Minnesota Orchestral Association's board of directors and was a passionate supporter of the Orchestra. She was a busy and much-loved member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Edina, and served as its senior warden until her term ended in January, 2009. In all her volunteer work, she liked getting things done, and was a valued member of many a committee always asking questions like, "what are we trying to do here?" Her practical, get it done sense must have been valued, because they kept asking her back and often put her in leadership posts. She loved walking, and took great pleasure in helping bring sidewalks to her Maple Road neighborhood in Edina. She and her walking buddies were a familiar sight in the neighborhood, where she was always accompanied by her golden retriever, Walter. Lisa's network of friends was vast and loyal. She loved taking groups to the family's lake cabin in Minocqua, Wisconsin, and sharing it with whoever seemed to need a "lake fix." She was fearlessly friendly, making friends wherever she went (sometimes to the embarrassment of her family). She was hugely proud of her children, who share her qualities of selflessness, gratitude and grace. She had a quick wit and tongue in cheek humor that made her the right person to sit beside at parties. She will be deeply missed by her many friends from the volunteer world, her beloved church family and the countless friends who rallied with her throughout her cancer battle, many of whom had stayed close to her since preschool in Iowa. Most of all, she will be missed by Dave, her soulmate for over thirty years, and their children, Nina and Ben. They all knew how lucky they were to have her in their lives. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, May 18th at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 4439 West 50th Street, Edina. Memorials may be directed to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Edina; The Sheltering Arms Foundation, the Minnesota Orchestra or WAMSO.
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.