Mildred L. Gilbertson

Gilbertson, Mildred L. age 95, passed away peacefully at her home in St. Paul, MN on Oct. 10, 2013. Millie was born on August 27, 1918 in rural South Dakota. She grew up on a farm near Mitchell, SD, attended a one-room country school through 8th grade and then graduated from Mitchell High School in 1936. She went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. Upon graduation from Gustavus she accepted a teaching position in Clarissa, MN, where she lived for 67 years. For 33 of those years she was an English, French, drama and speech teacher at Clarissa High School. She was truly admired by her students, many of whom continued to be in frequent contact with her. Millie was married to Oliver Gilbertson of Clarissa on June 12, 1943. She & Oliver farmed for several years and eventually moved to town and built and operated the M'n'O, a drive-in restaurant. They had a wonderful marriage that had lasted for 39 years when Oliver passed away in 1982. Millie was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church (now Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran) in Clarissa for 73 years. She was actively involved there with the choir and various women's groups. She was a devout Christian who made her prayer life a priority - her daily devotions were the first thing she did every morning. She loved good literature and poetry and often recited whole poems from memory. Needlework was a hobby and she created beautiful quilts, afghans, needlepoint, hardanger pieces, and cross-stitchery. She was also skilled at word games of any kind and enthusiastically played Scrabble, solved cryptograms and crossword puzzles. In 2007, Millie moved from Clarissa to Rockwood Place in St. Paul, where she made many new friends. Millie was pre-deceased by her husband, Oliver; her father, Algot Gulberg; her mother, Amanda Alsene Gulberg; her stepmother, Edna Backlund Gulberg; her brother, Lee Gulberg; and her son-in-law, Jack Merritt. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. She is lovingly remembered by her three daughters: Rachel Lind (Byron) of Mendota Heights, MN; Rebecca Merritt of Scottsdale, AZ; and Deborah Oberschelp (Wayne) of Park Ridge, IL; her six grandchildren: Nathan Lind (Krista) of Minneapolis, MN; Martha Lind of Minneapolis, MN; Wendy Weiker (Aric) of Mercer Island, WA; Kimberly Portugal (Todd) of Porter Ranch, CA; Kent Merritt (Christine) of La Mirada, CA; and John Oberschelp of Park Ridge, IL; her nine great- grandchildren: Claire Lind and Madeline Lind of Minneapolis, MN; Rose Weiker and Henry Weiker of Mercer Island, WA; Courtney Portugal, Evan Portugal, and Olivia Portugal of Porter Ranch, CA; Maxwell Merritt and Emily Merritt of La Mirada, CA; sister: Betty Bruner of Mitchell, SD; nephews: Britt Bruner (Judy) of Mitchell, SD; Greg Bruner (Philomena) of West Dundee, IL; and niece Janice Johnson (Doug) of Mitchell, SD; sister- in-law, Marilyn Gulberg of Sioux Falls, SD; and also many friends, Godchildren, and former students. Services will be held on Saturday, October 19, at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Clarissa, MN at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be at the church from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. There will be an additional service at Rockwood Place Community Room, 2259 Rockwood Avenue, St. Paul, on Tuesday, October 15, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Paul Union Gospel Mission, the Salvation Army, or Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Clarissa.
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.