Gloria Pearson, of Dawson, died Saturday, June 14, 2014 at the Clarkfield Care Center in Clarkfield, MN at the age of 90.
Funeral services will be held Monday, June 23, 2014 at 2:00 PM at Community Bible Church in Montevideo. Pastor Bruce Jarman will officiate and interment will be at the Covenant Cemetery near Dawson.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 22 from 2-4:00 PM at the Hanson & Dahl Funeral Home in Dawson with a prayer service at 4:00 PM and at the church for one hour before services on Monday.
Gloria Pearson was born January 9, 1924, to Clara and Peter J. Swanson of rural Dawson. She graduated from Dawson High School in 1941 and from North Park College in Chicago in 1943. After working in Minneapolis for Linde Air Products, she married Willard Pearson, also of rural Dawson, in 1947. She returned to college, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in education at Southwest University in Marshall, Minnesota, in 1971.
Gloria and her husband were true partners in every aspect of raising their three children and running their farm. Blessed with a beautiful singing voice and musical talent, she was the organist at the Dawson Covenant Church, and sang in the choir, as well as singing many solos and duets with Willard. She served as president of the Ladies’ Aid, and generously volunteered her gifts in many capacities.
Later Gloria and Willard attended Community Bible Church in Montevideo, continuing always a deep commitment to their Lord and helping many people, selflessly offering their time to all who asked.
She blessed her family in countless ways with her singing, gardening, canning, freezing, cooking, sewing, and in her complete devotion to her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Her creativity and talent made their home a beautiful and welcoming place. In 2002, her story of the hailstorm that destroyed their first crop in 1948 and the love that sustained their marriage was published in Grit Magazine.
Her courage and grit were demonstrated in 1968 when she was one of 3 women and 18 men chosen to test Chevy pickups against Ford in a race held in San Antonio, TX.
They had many adventures with their children, taking family trips to both the East and West coasts. Later they traveled twice to Europe, especially visiting relatives in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. They also traveled to Israel in 1991. They were so glad they visited there before the restrictions on many of the holy places. It was a highlight of their lives.
They also traveled from Florida to Texas on a Greyhound bus with the Festival of Praise singers, making new friends all along the way, as they always did, and made annual visits to their children and grandchildren in New Hampshire.
They wintered in Brownsville, Texas for many years, and were involved in many healing ministries in Texas and Mexico, making grateful new friends who stayed in touch over the years.
They thoroughly enjoyed retirement, staying on their lovely farm for many years, gardening, selling their produce at the farmers’ market, making improvements, and planting trees for future generations to enjoy.
She is survived by her 3 children, Susan (Robert) Mennel and Steven Pearson of New Hampshire, and Lee Ann Citrowske of Montevideo, 11 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband of 63 years, Willard Pearson, and her great-grandson, Luke Howe.