Ruth Jeanne Fredrickson, age 89, of Virginia and formerly of Minnetonka died Thursday, April 17, 2014, in St. Michael's Health and Rehabilitation Center in Virginia. She was born February 20, 1925, in Tower, MN, the daughter of Emil A. and Esther V. Fredrickson. She graduated from Tower-Soudan High School and went on to attend Business School in Minneapolis learning Secretarial skills.
Jeanne worked as a Secretary and Records Clerk for Hennepin county Social Services and Welfare Department in downtown Minneapolis. She was a member of Calvary Lutheran church in Golden Valley, MN and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tower.
Jeanne was often described as a "lovely person" and those who knew her will remember her with affection. She was friendly, gracious, soft-spoken, and extremely caring - always considering the needs of others before herself. Her friends and family were always greeted with a smile when they visited her along with a special treat over coffee. Jeanne also enjoyed sending care packages to her nieces and nephews with their favorite baked goods.
She loved the Tower-Soudan and Lake Vermilion area and returned to visit frequently. Having grown up in Tower, she enjoyed telling stories from her childhood about walking on the railroad tracks down to the lake to swim or play with her siblings and neighborhood friends from the "alley gang". They sometimes would walk out into Pike Bay on the old river pilings to fish and she had a favorite story about a friend who fell into the lake, walked back home to change into dry clothes, and fell in again on her return.
Living in the Twin Cities, Jeanne had a wide variety of interests. Working downtown for 40 years, she enjoyed the sights and sounds, numerous activities, and cultural events. She was an active member of the Calvary Lutheran Church and the organizations within the church, and volunteered every week to assist with numerous volunteer church activities. She was an ardent sports fan, rarely missing a game of the Twins, Gophers, or Vikings on the TV or the radio.
Being especially proud of her Swedish heritage, Jeanne was an active member of the American Swedish Institute headquartered in Minneapolis and made a wonderful trip to Sweden in 1975 which led to a lasting connection with relatives living in Sweden. She enjoyed travel having visited many sites in the U.S. and she especially enjoyed vacationing in Northern MN. Every fall, like clockwork, she and a close group of friends would travel to the North Shore to enjoy the beautiful display of autumn leaves.
In addition she enjoyed needlework, decorating, league bowling, golfing, and playing card games with friends and with her nieces, nephews and their children whenever they would come to visit. But her true passion was reading. She was well read in a wide variety of subjects and had created an interesting collection of U.S. historical magazines and newspapers with the important headlines of the century.
Jeanne had a kind and loving heart of gold. We have so many fond memories of Jeanne. She will be greatly missed not only by her relatives but by her circle of friends who loved her.
Jeanne is survived by her nephew: Richard (Peggy) Peyla of Orinda, CA, and their children, Brennan J. and Kameryn J. Peyla; a grand niece: Mary Joy (Scott) Ranzal of Orinda, CA and their children: Ava C. and Luke S. Ranzal; a sister-in-law: Patricia Olson of Tower, MN; cousins: Stenfelt (Connie) Petersen of Greenville, SC, Kirk (JoAnn) Johnson of Duluth, MN, and Jack Lofgren of Bellevue, NE; and other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister: Lorraine Omundson; her brother: Lester Fredrickson; her sister: Emily Peyla; her brothers-in-law: James (Sonny) Peyla and Elton Olson; her niece: Janice Gray; and several cousins, aunts and uncles.
A small graveside service at the Lakeview Cemetery in Tower and a gathering of family and friends will be held at a later date per Jeanne's wishes. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association or to the Immanuel Lutheran church in Tower, MN.
Family services are provided by Bauman-Cron, a Bauman Family Funeral Home, in Virginia. To express condolences on-line please see: www.baumanfuneralhome.com.