Evelyn P. (Anderson) Berg of Litchfield, MN, 95, passed away on Thursday, July 11, 2013 at the Ecumen Emmanuel Nursing Home in Litchfield after having suffered a series of strokes over the past five months. Her funeral service will begin at 11:00 AM on Monday, July 15, 2013 at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield, MN. Visitation will be from 4:00 – 8:00 PM on Sunday at Johnson Hagglund Funeral Home in Litchfield. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at church. Interment will be at Lake Ripley Cemetery immediately following the service.

Evelyn was born on Thursday, January 24, 1918 in the hospital at Dickenson, ND to Halleck and Myrtle (Tennis) Anderson, the seventh child of fourteen. Leaving North Dakota in August of 1918, the family moved back to Minnesota living in Appleton, Bird Island, south of Grove City near Arndahl Church and eventually into Litchfield where Evelyn remained for the rest of her life.

After graduating from LHS in 1936, Evelyn remained in contact with her classmates all throughout her life. After high school, she went to “Normal Training” where she earned her teaching certificate within a year. She taught three years at a one room country school located northwest of Litchfield. Although she loved her students, Evelyn left the teaching profession for she also had an undying love of numbers. She considered herself fortunate to be hired as a bookkeeper at the JC Penney store in Litchfield. Evelyn loved working there and stayed for 14 years, where she also enjoyed filling in as a sales clerk because she got to “talk to the customers.”

She met her future husband, LeRoy Berg of Atwater, on a blind date. LeRoy and Evelyn were married on July 25, 1953 in Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield. To this union were born two children, Richard and Connie. When Connie was 6 months old, LeRoy and Evelyn moved into their home on East 4th Street where she remained for the next 47 years. LeRoy passed away suddenly in September 1983, two months after they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

After taking time off to raise her children, Evelyn went back to the work force in 1966 as a bookkeeper for the Northwestern National Bank in downtown Litchfield. She remained there for a year and then went to work for the Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Assn (REA) when Gil Slinden approached her to be their bookkeeper. She worked for them for 17 years retiring in 1984. She loved working for the REA where she not only got to “do the numbers”, but she got to know where all the people in the surrounding area lived.

Baptized and confirmed in Christ, Evelyn was a very “energetic” member of Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield where she remained very active until her stroke in February 2013. She was a faithful member of her Circle and WELCA. She also volunteered in the church office for 25 years with the counting of the offering, helped serve at nearly every funeral, delivered bulletins weekly to residents at Emmaus and Gloria Dei, enjoyed “tying” quilts with the Zion sewing circle, loved visiting members in their times of need and, before her marriage, was a member of the Zion choir.

In addition to her church activities, Evelyn volunteered in the Emmaus Gift Shop for nearly 27 years, bowled for many years on the Litchfield Oil bowling team, enjoyed playing golf, played bridge and board games with her friends regularly, belonged to the Sons of Norway, attended many high school sporting events with her friends and never turned down a chance to work a crossword puzzle. She made sure her family knew she “had a happy life.”

Grateful for sharing her life, Evelyn is survived by her son, Richard (Debbie) of White Bear Lake, MN and daughter, Connie (Jim) Rueckert of Dell Rapids, SD, eight grandchildren: Annie (Sam) Burgeson, April Berg, Alethea Berg, Anthony Berg, Kristen Rueckert, Jamie Rueckert, Alex Rueckert, and step-granddaughter April (Joe) Sanchez. Her great-grandchildren: Landon Berg , Asher Burgeson, Abbie Sanchez, and Alexis Sanchez. Her brother Leo (Irene) Anderson of Forest Lake and sisters-in-law, Ruth Anderson of Rochester, Helen Berg of Litchfield, and Grace Berg of Atwater along with several nephews, nieces and many, many dear friends including Kathy Warmbier of Litchfield.

Welcoming her to heaven are many loved ones: husband LeRoy, her “papa” and “mama”, her grandparents, and her siblings Hazel, Chester, Mildred, Lloyd I., Margaret, Lloyd H., Roy, Clarice, Maurice (Bud), George, Halleck Junior, and Helen.

In her last days, Evelyn especially wanted her family and friends to know how much she loved all of them and enjoyed her life. Her wish to all who survive her is that you “live a Christian life and be happy until we meet again.”