Casket bearers include grandsons Brenden Casavan, Wyatt Casavan, Ben Foote, Nick Erickson, Matt Erickson, Brian Erickson, Alex Tjellesen and Phillip Sorenson.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012 at St. Joseph’s Church, Red Lake Falls, with Father Chuck Huck presiding. Interment will be held at St. Anthony Cemetery, Terrebonne.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Red Lake Falls, with a 7 p.m. prayer service and for one hour prior to the service, Saturday.
Mary Ann Jaeger was born May 7, 1926, on the family farm near Plummer, the daughter of Nicholas and Helen (Hemmelgarn) Jaeger. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Plummer. She attended country school in Emardville Township and graduated from Pershing High School, Plummer in 1944. Mary Ann went on to nursing school in the Twin Cities for the next year.
In 1947, Mary Ann married Wallace Erickson in Plummer. To this union, eight children were born: Sandra, Terrence, Mark, Marcia, Joan, Steve, Timothy and Sonia. They lived in many different places including the Twin Cities and Lincoln, Nebraska. Wallace died in 1960. She returned to Minnesota and earned her nursing degree after Wallace died.
On July 6, 1963, she married Harvey Gagner in Terrebonne. To this union three children were born: Lisa, Phillip and Desiree. The couple made their home on the ranch house south of Terrebonne. In 1974, they moved from the ranch house to the farm house. She worked for many years at Hillcrest Nursing Home, Red Lake Falls and McIntosh Manor in McIntosh. Harvey died in 1999, she moved to Sunview Apartments in Red Lake Falls in the fall of 2010, and at the time of her passing was living with her daughter Desiree’s family in Grand Forks, N.D.
Mary Ann was a member of St. Anthony’s Church, currently a member of St. Joseph’s in Red Lake Falls and a member of the Carmelite’s (via St. Joseph’s). Mary Ann also was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. She valued education and saw that all of her children went to college. She raised her children to be independent. Mary Ann enjoyed gardening, working on the farm, riding the swather and mowing her lawn. After the children left home her life adventure began, Mary Ann loved camping, floating down the Red Lake River, white water rafting, riding a glider, hot air ballooning, skiing downhill and also skiing cross country, on her 80th birthday she even rode down the big slide at the casino.
Survivors include 10 children: Sandra Erickson, Wheat Ridge, Colo., Terry (Deb) Erickson, Sabin, Mark Erickson, St. Paul, Marcia Erickson, St. Paul, Joan (Tom) Sebenaler, Lancaster, Steve Erickson, Terrebonne, Tim (Joan) Erickson, Highlands Ranch, Colo., Sonia (Rich) Foote, Westminster, Colo., Lisa (Marlan) Sorenson, Plummer, and Desiree (Claus) Tjellesen, Grand Forks, N.D.; 16 grand-children, 17 great-grand-children and one great-great-grandchild; brother, James (Shirley) Jaeger, St. Paul; honorary daughter, Lisa (Bobby) Beauchamp and caregivers JoAnn White and Mary Jo Cookman, along with many other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by husbands, Wallace Erickson and Harvey Gagner; son Phillip in 1966; parents; brothers, Joseph and Theodore; sister, Margaret Greenwald.
Family condolences may be sent at www.johnsonfuneralservice.com. A00003B2012AG29 “
