Beatrice Elnora Winans

Beatrice Elnora (Donaldson) Winans, 84, of Bemidji, died Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at her home.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 13, at First Lutheran Church in Bemidji with the Rev. Alan Johnson officiating. Family will greet friends one hour prior to the service at the church.

Arrangements were made with Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home, Bemidji.

The honorary pallbearers will be her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was born Oct, 5, 1925, to Peter and Agnes (Halladay) Donaldson in Koochiching County, Minn. She grew up in the Gemmell, Minn. and Mizpah, Minn. area, graduating from Northome High School in 1944. She lived in Bemidji and worked at Munsingwear and Lake Julia Sanitorium. On Aug. 29, 1948, she married Finner Winans in Mizpah. She worked at the American Legion Waterfront Gift Shop, Gambles Hardware Store and the Beltrami Nursing Home, retiring in 1990. She was a member of First Lutheran Church, long time member of the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary, was past president of the Women’s Auxiliary, member of the Red Hatters, worked with the crippled children’s clinic with the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary. She liked bowling, gardening and flowers, reading, dancing and cooking.

She is survived by her sons, Jerry (Kathy) Winans of Debs, Dean (Joan) Winans of Stacy, Minn. and David (Linda) Winans of Bemidji; daughters, Trudy Norby (Winans) of Eagan, Minn., Sharon Winans of Eagan and Wendy Winans of Bemidji; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; twin sister, Bernice Bloom of Covelo, Calif. and a sister-in-law.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a grandson; brothers, Donald Donaldson, William Donaldson and John Donaldson; sisters, Violet Olson, Viola Larson, Ann Leseman and Mary Bloom.

Family prefers memorials to North Country Home Care and Hospice.

Online guestbook at olsonschwartzfuneralhome.com.

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