Florence Elizabeth "Stubba" (Strand) Gilbertson was born on September 21, 1922 in Milan, MN. She passed away peacefully on October 29, 2015 in Willmar, MN. The funeral will be held at Kviteseid Lutheran Church in Milan, MN on Monday, November 2, 2015 at 11 am. Visitation will be at the Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home in Montevideo, MN on Sunday November 1, 2015 from 6-8pm. Memorials can be directed to the Kviteseid Lutheran Church in Milan or Bethesda Pleasant View Nursing Home in Willmar, MN.
Stubba was born to Osmund and Anna (Sandbo) Strand in Milan, MN and was the fifth of six children. After graduating from Milan High School in 1940 she began to work at a restaurant in town. She met and later married Glenn Gilbertson on July 23, 1944. They had many adventures together including opening an ice cream shop, spending time on the golf course and welcoming many of the neighborhood dogs into their home. Stubba took pride in raising her two daughters. She worked as a substitute postal worker, and later, at People's State Bank in Milan. Her life changed dramatically when she lost her husband at only 43 years of age. Her strong character and supportive community helped her endure this struggle. She was proud to have lived her entire life in Milan.
She was a woman of many talents including sewing, knitting, creating hardanger embroidery and baking. She made Kransekakas for countless weddings and rolled out record setting numbers of lefsa rounds for Syttende Mai. She was a caregiver to many and she reached out to anyone who needed a helping hand. She was generous beyond her means; no matter how little she had, she was always ready to invite someone to dinner or over for ice cream. She loved watching her grandchildren, traveling, dancing, the news and a good glass of wine.
Stubba was an active member of Kviteseid Lutheran Church where she was baptized, confirmed and married. She sang in the choir, participated in women's groups and Bible Studies and was part of Milan Women's Club and the Monte/Milan Club for 50+ years. Throughout her life her faith and her family were her central priorities.
She is survived by: daughters Carol (Rick) Maursetter of Willmar and Merry Gilbertson (Larry Frank) of Portland, Oregon; grandchildren Laura Maursetter (Jeff Lee) and Erik (Callie) Maursetter of Madison, WI and Katie Frank (Pat Smith) and Rachel Frank of Chicago, IL; and great-grandchildren Annika and Asher Lee; and brother-in-law Frank Reed. She was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn; her parents; siblings Hans (Gladys) Strand, Ray (Winnie and Adeline) Strand, Donald "Bud" (Violet and Dorothy) Strand, Mary Cain and Janet Reed, and nephew Mike Reed.
Blessed be her memory!
An essay written by RJ Strand about Stubba and her life is attached to a clickable button at the bottom of this page that says, "Click for printable service program".
Service Program