Ella Larson - beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, died Thursday, February 25, 2016 at Home Front First in Montevideo, MN at the age of 90.
Memorial services were held Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 1:00 PM at the Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Chapel with Rev. Beverly Crute officiating.
Ella Lydia (Schmidt) Siragusa Larson was born April 14, 1925 in Almena Township of Barron County, WI to Ernest and Lydia (Henkel) Schmidt. She spend part of her childhood years in Turtle Lake and later moved with her family to Montevideo where she attended her school years. She was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church.
As a young adult, she moved to Chicago, IL, where she met and married Ignatius Siragusa on December 15, 1951. After a honeymoon in Italy, they made their home in West Chicago, IL. Ella was a devoted wife and mother raising their two children, Maria and Lydia. After the loss of Iggy in 1972, Ella rejoined her family in Montevideo working as a CNA at Luther Haven for many years.
On August 16, 1980, Ella was joined in marriage to Vernon M. Larson of Lac qui Parle Village and later moving to Montevideo until Vernon’s death in 2002. Ella then moved to the farm with her daughter, Lydia and her family for the last 13 years, living only briefly at Home Front First as her health declined.
Ella was a very caring person, always taking time for others. She was soft spoken, a hard worker with a servant’s heart! She enjoyed spending time with family and friends but especially loved spending time with her great-grandchildren. She enjoyed gospel music, reading, garage sales, antiques, cooking, baking, canning, and working in the garden. Most often in her latter years, you would find her in the kitchen or laundry room fussing with something! A day hardly went by that she didn’t bake a loaf or two of fresh bread - even at the age of 89!
Surviving her are her daughters: Maria (Kurt) Koenen of Clara City and Lydia ( James) Mulligan of Montevideo; stepchildren: Diane (Ronald) Sherod, Vione (Robert) Streed, Roger (Sandra) Larson, Dale (Patricia) Larson, Dennis (Lori) Larson, Janice Larson, LuAnn (Steve) Johnson, Betty Golden, Terry (Yokasta) Larson, Jodi (Jeff) Donahue, and Judy Larson; her grandchildren: Shawn (Naomi) Koenen, Joshua (Shannon) Koenen, Matthew (Brittany) Koenen, Eric (Carlotta) Mulligan, Danielle (Emerson) Miller, Rebekah (William) Mulligan, Samuel Mulligan, Camille (Tad) Pearson, Robyn (Chris) Baldwin, and James (Sara) Mulligan; her great-grandchildren: Alison, Elizabeth, Sadie, Kolton, Quinton, Kendall, and Asher Koenen; Hunter, Brandon, and Isabella Mulligan; Elijah and Elizabeth Miller, Marcella, Melanie, and Maurice Pearson, Chase Buchman, and Skyee and Brylea Mulligan; numerous step grandchildren, step great-grandchildren, and step great-great-grandchildren; a brother, Arty (Donna) Schmidt of WI; two sisters: Dorothy Greseth of AZ and Bernice (Don) Mullins of NC.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husbands, Ignatius and Vernon; brothers: Ed, Ernie, Paul, and Walter; a sister, Virginia; sisters-in-law: Evelyn, Lois, and Blonde; and a grandson, Jason Lee in 1982.