Obituary

Louise Thorson

Rolfe -- Louise Thorson, age 87, of Storm Lake, formerly of Rolfe, died Friday, September 20, 2002, at the Methodist Manor in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Memorial services were 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 28, at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Storm Lake. Private graveside services were held at the Clinton-Garfield Cemetery near Rolfe, Iowa. There was no visitation.

Survivors include son Lee (Roxana Fudge) Thorson of Storm Lake; daughter Carol (Charles II) Morello of Eveleth, Minnesota; three grandchildren, Charles Morello III, Elizabeth Perrill, and Geoffrey (Melissa) Perrill; brother Clair (Maxine) Neal of Jackson, Michigan; and sisters, Lucille Mugge of Cedar Falls, and Enid (Robert) Petersen of Anthon. Louise was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Melvin; and a childhood sister, Edith.

Ethel Louise Neal was born April 22, 1915, at Moorhead, Iowa. She was the daughter of John and Blanche (Schmidt) Neal. She graduated from Moorhead High School in 1933, and from Morningside College in 1937. She taught for a year at Washta before moving to Rolfe to teach at the Des Moines Township School. On June 10, 1941, Louise married Melvin Thorson at Moorhead. The couple settled near Rolfe, where they farmed. In 1956, Louise resumed teaching at West Bend and later at Havelock-Plover Schools. She taught elementary music at Rolfe before retiring in the mid 1960's, due to health complications related to the early stages of MS. In 1975, Melvin and Louise retired from farming and moved into Rolfe. In May of 1995, they moved to the Methodist Manor in Storm Lake. Melvin died in August of 1995.

Louise was a member of the St. Paul's Lutheran Church, the church circle, and she was choir director for many years. In addition to teaching the violin, she was a member of the Sioux City Symphony and Cherokee Symphony. She also played the violin for many functions and in her later years at many nursing homes.