Subscribe to The Bemidji Pioneer

Informing North Central Minnesota. 1,037,929 Pages in January 2012.

print article Print     e-mail obituary E-mail
Published November 09, 2009, 12:00 AM

Betty Louise Blegen

Betty Louise Blegen, 82, of Waskish, died Friday, Nov. 6, 2009, at her daughter’s home in Bemidji.

Betty Louise Blegen, 82, of Waskish, Minn., died Friday, Nov. 6, 2009, at her daughter’s home in Bemidji.

A funeral service will be held at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Waskish with the Rev. Dan Heath officiating. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral at the church and from noon-1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Brighton-Miller Funeral Home in New Brighton. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, in Ft. Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

The pallbearers will be Keith Lindner, Jeff and Nick Halverson, Buddy Hillman, Bernie Hillman, B.J. Hillman, Blaine Klemek, Joe Blegen, Lane Lindner, Levi Lindner, and Noah Blegen.

Honorary pallbearers will be her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, god-children, Shorty and Marllys Hillman, Alzada Koisti, Bethlehem Lutheran Church Ladies of Waskish and all the coffee goers at Hillman’s Store.

She was born May 7, 1927, to Clifford and Gladys (Siebert) Greenwood in Hewitt, Minn. She attended school in Bertha, Minn. and graduated in 1945. She married Harold Blegen July 31, 1948, in Wrightstown, Minn. and they lived in Staples, Minn. for a few years. They moved to the Twin Cities in 1953. They owned and operated Harold’s Transmission Shop in New Brighton and she worked as a waitress at the Mack Hotel and Holiday Inn in Roseville, Minn. They moved north to Waskish in 1978, where she worked for Hillman’s Red Owl. She and her husband operated the Tamarack Resort. She worked for Bradley’s Café and for Tap-A-Keg as a waitress for 17 years. In most recent years, she returned to Hillman’s Store and helped out as needed. She enjoyed crocheting doilies, gardening, making Christmas wreaths, painting ceramics, cooking holiday meals and solving word find puzzles. She was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Waskish.

She is survived by her sons, Stan (Carla) Blegen of Champlin, Minn., Jerry Blegen of Richfield, Minn. and Harold (Robin) Blegen Jr. of McGrath, Minn.; daughters, Betty (Jeff) Halverson of Bemidji and Mary (Keith) Lindner of Mizpah; 16 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a sister, Darlene (Larry) Klemek of Eagle Bend, Minn. and brother, Clifford Greenwood of Bertha.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Harold, who died in 2000; daughter, Patricia Blegen who died in 1961; a grandson and her sisters, Violet Hennagir and Barb Fischer.

Messages of condolence may be left at ceasefuneralhome.com.

Tags:

Sign the guestbook (5 comments)

teresa j.
11/10/2009 4:07 PM

Betty and family, Betty,I am so sorry for your loss. Your in my thoughts and prayers and I give you a huge hug. SOrry I cant do it in person. Im sure she was as wonderful as you are. a former co-worker and the person you trained to do your job tammy clyne

Report a Violation

joan b.
Bemidji, MN     11/10/2009 9:01 AM

from joan becker, a past co-worker of betty halverson, loved hearing her tell stories of her and her mom, she loved so dearly, im sorry for her and her families lost of such a wonderful lady i never met but still felt i knew her thru betty her daughter. prayers go out to the family joani becker

Report a Violation

Bonnie K.
Bemidji, MN     11/09/2009 6:00 PM

Back in the summer of 1991 I was working at K-mart in Bemidji, MN. Harold & Betty Blegen came through my line as I was a casher he wrote a check or sign for a credit card{I really don't remember} I looked at him & told him that was my maiden name. So he ask when my break was & I told him about 10 minutes. I took my break & went to talk to them. I told him that my dad was Thorvald Blegen from Aitkin MN and I told him that my grandpa came from Norway he ask me if he was a Blegen or if that was the land name, I told him that I was always told that Papa last name was Johnson & when they came to America everyone took the land name because there were to many Johnson's in Norway & so to keep all the relatives straight they all took the Blegen name so they would know how to contact all there relatives. I told Harold & Betty that I was also told that if I met anyone with the Blegen name in MN-SD-ND-WI-IA I was related some how. So Harold said I must be his relative. We kept in contact until I left K-mart in Nov. of 1992. I told him my dad's oldest brother had been name Harold. We decided we had to be a distant cousin or some kind of relative. Harold, Betty & I decided with the aged difference that he couldn't be an uncle. I enjoyed each visit we had in the mall on my coffee break or my lunch hour. You had a very nice mom & Dad, they were so nice to visit with and I am sorry I lost contact with them after I left K-mart. I talked to Betty right after Harold passed away & we wanted to get together{it never happen}we did send Christmas card back & forth for a few years. Then we lost contact. When I read about Betty I had to sign the guest book. Sorry this is so long but I wanted to say that I am sorry for your lost, my prayers will be with all of you, even though you don't know me. Bonnie{Blegen}Kewitsch Bemidji MN

Report a Violation

Comments posted on this page do not reflect opinions of Forum Communications Company. Forum Communications Company does not endorse and is not responsible for any statement, opinion, advice given or made. All replies are subject to approval and must follow Forum Communications Company guidelines concerning statements of libel, personal attacks or defamation of character. Replies in the "Talk About It" section that criticize a person by name may not be posted, unless that person is openly involved in a public issue. Comments written in all capital letters or bold print will not be considered for inclusion in the forum.

Terms & Conditions