Gladys Fern Soehren was born January 20, 1914, to Perry and Mamie Sumner in Mahnomen County, Minnesota. In 1923, they moved to a farm site three and one-half miles west of Boyd, Minnesota. This farm site was started by Henry Harrison Sumner in the 1800s known as a tree claim site. To this union were born four brothers: Merrill, Kenneth, Harold and Glenn; and three sisters: Verlan, Leone and Gladys. There was also one brother and one sister that died in infancy. Gladys attended District #72 a country school and after that attended the University of Minnesota, Morris. After graduation she moved to Chicago and worked there for a short time and then moved back to the home site. In 1933 she met the neighbor across the road who went by the name of Sverre Neraasen. They began to date and later married on June 28, 1936, and rented a farm three miles west of Boyd. They later purchased that farm. Sverre told Gladys that they would have to work side by side to get the farm paid for and then they could start a family. The family grew in 1941 when Curtis came along and again in 1949 with the birth of Ronald. Gladys was a hard worker. She enjoyed her many flower gardens, had a large vegetable garden and a large strawberry patch. Curtis said he and his mom picked 499 large quarts of strawberries and tried to get to 500 but never did. She worked in the fields threshing grain, plowing, and stacking hay. Curtis can remember walking in the corn row watching Mom and Dad picking corn by hand and throwing it into a flair box. She helped Sverre with chores and took pride in her 600 chickens. Later she started writing news columns for Boyd, Dawson, Madison, Clarkfield and Montevideo newspapers for 50 years. A lot of you today may remember her Sunday calls to get the news. Writing for the paper was not the only claim to usage of her time. She was foremost in volunteer work for the American Cancer Society for 32 1/2 years. She attended meetings and provided publicity for newspapers in the county and radio items on behalf of the American Cancer Society. She did her part to help prevent cancer by sharing research findings and educational helps. She often served as a delegate from Lac qui Parle County to the state ACS annual meetings. Sverre passed away in 1965. She married Elmer Soehren in 1966. Elmer passed away in 2004. Visitation Friday, April 3, 2009 ~ 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Trinity Lutheran Church, Boyd, Minnesota Funeral Service Friday, April 3, 2009 ~ 11:00 a.m. Trinity Lutheran Church Boyd, Minnesota Clergy Officiating Pastor Martha Hanson Pastor Tim Sumner Organist, Mavis Hutt Special Music, DeWayne Hermanson Luke Neraasen (guitar) Casket Bearers (Grandsons) Luke Neraasen * Scott Neraasen (Nephew) Arlan Sumner (Friends and Neighbors) Bradley Lundy * DeWayne Hermanson * Donovan Wiegers Final Resting Place Terrace Lawn Memory Gardens "Garden of the Shepherd" Camp Release Township Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota Arrangements by Lynner Funeral Home Since 1891 Clarkfield Minnesota