Lorna O. Stern, 90, of 211 7th St. NE, Rockford, Iowa died Thursday, March 17, 2011, with her family at her side, at the Nora Springs Care Center, Nora Springs, Iowa, where she was a resident for only a week.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am, Monday, March 21, 2011 at Zion Lutheran Church, 805 East Main, Rockford, Iowa. Officiating will be the Pastors Alan Schultz and Patricia Shaw. Visitation will be from 4:00 until 8:00 pm Sunday at the Church. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, Rockford. Memorials may be directed to the Lorna Stern Memorial Fund in care of the family. Condolences and messages may be shared with the family at www.Fullertonfh.com
Lorna Otillia was born the fourth child of Sanford and Ida (Williamson) Carlson on January 27, 1921 on the family farm near Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. She was baptized and confirmed at Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church, rural Austin. She attended country school, graduating from the 8th grade. She was united in marriage to Warren Stern on July 3, 1938 in Cresco, Iowa. They farmed in various locations in Minnesota including Taopi, LeRoy, and Adams. Warren and Lorna moved their family to Iowa when he was employed at the Oliver Farm Equipment Company in Charles City. They lived first near Elma, then rural Rockford, and moved into Rockford in 1948.
Lorna helped with the work on the farm, including milking cows and raising chickens. For many years she raised a vegetable garden and enjoyed canning and freezing the produce. She loved flowers and will be remembered for her “green thumb.” When the children were older she worked outside the home. She was a cook at the Rockford school, worked at the Rockford Brick and Tile Company, and was a seamstress for the Mode O’Day clothing factory in Mason City, Iowa. For many years Warren and Lorna enjoyed spending their summers fishing on Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota. A favorite trip for them was in 1962 when they traveled by train to Tacoma, Washington, to visit Diane and Timm while he was in the Army. For the last twelve years of Warren’s life she cared for him at home.
She was very talented with the crochet hook and knitting needles. Family members have many afghans, doilies, and other items to cherish. She also made lovely doilies with beads, many things with plastic canvas, and hats and purses out of beverage cans. Lorna was very proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and had a special place on her living room wall with many pictures of them. She was looking forward to the birth of her great-great-granddaughter in June.
Surviving Lorna are her three children Leona and her husband Morris Parcher, Dale and his wife Janet Stern, and Diane and her husband Lyle “Timm” Marker, all of Rockford; seven Grandchilden including Leona and Morris’ children Kenneth (Rebecca) Parcher, Northwood; Paul (Kara) Parcher, Rockford; David (Joan) Parcher, Navarre, Fl; Karen (Jason) Moss, Council Bluffs; and Diane and Timm’s children Leon (Vicky) Marker, Rockford, Troy Marker and fiancé Chira, Centerville, IA; and Craig Marker, Nora Springs; 15 Great-Grandchildren Christopher (Sabrina) Parcher, Matthew, Lauren, Ethan, Leigh and Shaun Parcher, Kyle, Austin, and Benjamin Moss, and Cory, Curtis, Garrett, Sadye, Dylan and Calen Marker. Also surviving are sisters-in-law Emily Carlson, Lois Carlson, Marlene and her husband Stan Radunz; brothers-in-law Eldred (Butch) Mayzlik, Donald Stern, George Ulrick, Sr., and special friends Fred and Margaret Schultz, Mason City, and Donavon and Juanita Schuster, DesMoines.
Lorna was preceded in death by her husband Warren in 1995, parents, three sisters Ruth Bos, Iola Harrington, Donna Mae Mayzlik, three brothers Sylvester, Palmer, and Roger Carlson, and one great-great-granddaughter Elora Grace Parcher.
Fullerton Schumburg Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 302 West Main, Rockford, Iowa 50468 641-756-3311, www.Fullertonfh.com
