Rosella Irene Flath

Rosella Flath, age 82, died Saturday, April 2, 2016 at the Pioneer Care Center in Fergus Falls after suffering many years with the afflictions of Alzheimer's. Rosella Irene Nygaard was born July 11, 1933 in Prairie View Township, Wilkin County, Minnesota. She was the oldest child of Robert Martinus Nygaard and Esther Rose Garrison Nygaard. On September 17, she was baptized at the Sille Bethania Congregational Church in Otter Tail County with Mr. and Mrs. J Greenfeld, Vernon Nygaard and Dola Garrison as her sponsors.Until 1944, she and her family lived in Minnesota, first in Wolverton and then in the mining range community of Hibbing. Following her father's work in the mines, the family moved to Globe, Arizona, where they stayed until 1947 before coming back to Otter Tail County. Rosella lived the rest of her life here. A few years after returning to Minnesota, while working on the farm of Velma and Lenny Lund and caring for their children in the rural Richville area, Rosella met her future husband Vernon Flath. On September 23, 1949, Rosie and Vern were married with his cousin Gladys Baumgart and her husband Duane Estlick as witnesses.Throughout the years, "Rosie", as she was affectionately known, took care of the bookkeeping side of her husband's road maintenance business while working at Norby's Department Store in Fergus Falls. But, she might best be known for her work as a nurse's aide, first in Dilworth, MN, and then for many years at the Pelican Valley Health Center. There was always someone she was taking care of family and friends alike. Anyone who walked into her home was welcomed. Rosella was passionate about life, loved to read and wanted to learn as much as she could, from baking bread, cooking, gardening, canning, crafts, and even making her own laundry soap. She sewed clothes for her daughters and curtains, slip-covers and anything else she could to make her house a home. Rosie and Vern loved the holidays that were celebrated with large gatherings of people, and tremendous amounts of food in their home. Music was also very important to her and her interests ran from Pavarotti to Johnny Cash. As a young woman, she played guitar and sang with neighboring friends. She taught one of her daughters to play guitar and now two grandsons and two great-grandsons play as well. Rosie was always singing with her daughters and grandchildren and dancing with her husband. Rosie loved nature and was always feeding the birds. She enjoyed motorhome camping, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Two of her favorite books were "Woodswoman" and "Walden", with a quote from the latter summarizing her desires, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."At a very early age, Rosella left school to help care for her sister and brother, Joyce and Gene Nygaard. That did not stop her education. She later went on to get her GED in 1978 and then took classes at Fergus Falls Community College.Passionately, but yet with a sense of humor, Rosella loved arguing politics. She even ran for the Lida Township Board losing by one vote. Since she and Vern were of opposite political parties, they usually cancelled each other out at the voting polls. It was always a family joke that his vote lost her the election.Rosella is survived by her daughters, Schelby Weyrens of Fergus Falls, Deborah Fliss (Brian) Fors of Mankato, MN, and Kari (Leslie) Pierce of Pelican Rapids; seven grandchildren Thadius Fliss (Katie Austad), Angela Weyrens (Ama Bently), Jeremy Fliss (Leah Gannon); Ryan Pierce (Jesse Krueger-Pierce); Kealy Pierce (Jasen Cross); Kristi Weyrens (Jeff Schmitt) and Anna-Kjersten Fors (Zachary) Hunsinger; and three great grandchildren, Tobias Fliss, Landyn Krueger-Pierce and Kendall Krueger-Pierce. She is also survived by two sisters Joyce Urbanowicz Boe, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and Vera Nygaard Flath, Phoenix, AZ, and her brother Gene (Carol) Nygaard of Erhard, MN; brother's- and sister's-in law, Irma Flath Rinas, Marie Flath Anderson Walker, John and Marlys Flath, and Marvin and JoAnn Flath; uncle Daniel Richard, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and their families.She is preceded in death by her husband, Vernon on May 30, 2007; her mother Esther Garrison Nygaard in 1984; her father Robert Nygaard in1975; her sister Verna Nygaard in 1950; and her grandparents Kari and Lars Nygaard, with whom she was very close; and many aunts and uncles. Visitation: Thursday, April 7, 2016, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Larson Funeral Home, Pelican Rapids, MN. Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 8, 2016 in the Celebration Center at Pioneer Care Center in Fergus Falls MN with Lay Pastor Al Grothe officiating.Burial: Perham Village Cemetery, Perham MNFuneral Home: Larson Funeral Home, Pelican Rapids, MinnesotaMemorial donations may be sent to the Alzheimer's Association "Walk to End Alzheimer's" or the Pioneer Care Center/Nursing Home in Fergus Falls.The obituary will be read by son-in-law Brian Fors. The readings will be read by granddaughters Kealy Pierce, Angela Weyrens and grandson Thadius Fliss. Daughter Deborah Fors will introduce the slideshow/video on the life of Rosella Nygaard Flath. Pallbearers will be Jeremy Fliss , Thadius Fliss, Tobias Fliss, Anna-Kjersten Fors Hunsinger, Kealy Pierce, Ryan Pierce, Angela Weyrens, Kristi Weyrens, and Jason Urbanowicz.Obituary written by Deborah Fliss Fors