Nellie Engebretson

The funeral for Nellie Engebretson, of Starbuck, Minnesota will be held on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lowry, with Reverend Joe Skogmo officiating. Visitation will be on Monday at Starbuck Funeral Home from 5 to 7 p.m. and Tuesday at the church one hour prior to services. Burial will be at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, rural Starbuck.

Nellie Joan Van Luik, daughter of Leonard and Olive (Kobbervig) Van Luik, was born on the home farm in Hodges Township in Stevens County on March 3, 1920. She attended District 9 Country School in Stevens County and District 53 in Pope County. She graduated from West Central School of Agriculture in Morris in 1938. Nellie’s father passed away in 1941, so she stayed home to help her mother with the farm. She loved life on the farm and wasn’t afraid of hard work. She also loved to sew, bake, milking cows and all the other chores that went with animals and farm work.

Nellie married Oliver Engebretson on March 31, 1945 at the Indherred Parsonage in Pope County, Minnesota. Oliver was the son of Edwin and Olena (Ronnie) Engebretson. They stayed on the farm for three years and then rented a farm north of Lake Emily and farmed for another 15 years.

In 1946, Nellie gave birth to their son, Dale. In 1959, they moved to New Hope, MN, where she began working at Honeywell. She retired in 1980, receiving an award for Outstanding Performance from the United States Navy.  Oliver passed away on November 19, 1991. In 2000, Nellie moved to Lowry, MN. While living in Lowry, she was active in the Lowry Lions, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and the “Stitchin’ Chicks”. In 2016, she moved to Parkview Court in Glenwood, Minnesota.

Nellie died on Sunday, June 17, 2018 under the care of Glacial Ridge Hospice at the Minnewaska Lutheran Home in Starbuck. She was 98 years old.

She is survived by one son: Dale (Sheila) Engebretson, Buffalo, MN; two grandchildren: Dawn Engebretson and Kevin (Denise) Engebretson, all of Rockford, MN; three great-grandchildren: Andrew, Evelyn and Audra Engebretson, Rockford, MN; one brother: Reuben (BettyAnn) Van Luik, Starbuck, MN; and one sister: DeLoris Hagen, Glenwood, MN. Nellie was preceded in death by her husband, parents, two sisters: Audrey (Walter) Wold and Gladys (Gerald) West, one brother: Arie (Lorraine) Van Luik; two brothers-in-law: Darrell Boettcher and Norman Hagen; three nephews: Gerald Wold, Rick Wold, and Douglas Boettcher; and one niece: Roxanne Werner.

Memorials are preferred to Glacial Ridge Hospice in Glenwood, Minnewaska Lutheran Home in Starbuck or Memorial of donor’s choice.

Starbuck Funeral Home is in charge of the funeral arrangements. An online guest book can be signed at www.starbuckfh.com.