Sept. 19, 1915-Feb. 10, 2006
Opal F. Gwynn, 90, of Detroit Lakes, died Friday, February 10, 2006 at the Emmanuel Nursing Home in Detroit Lakes.
Opal Florence Halvorson, the daughter of Halvor and Mulla Halvorson, was born Sept. 19, 1915 in Pine Creek, Minn. She was the fifth of 10 kids in the family, and grew up in Minnesota with her parents and siblings. Opal was married to Lester Gwynn in 1935; they remained married for 46 years, until Lester's death in 1981. Together they raised four sons, moving between Minnesota and California. Besides being a wife and mother, Opal also helped in the restaurants she and Lester opened in Minnesota -- but perhaps her favorite job of all was being a friend and having a good time.
Opal holds a special place in each of her grandchildren's hearts, as a result of living near each of them at one point in her life. Her grandkids will never forget the time they spent with their grandmother, a woman famous for instructing them to "do as I say, not as I do."
Opal's family and friends remember her as a loving person who looked for the best in everyone she knew. Opal will be missed dearly and remembered always.
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Surviving Opal are her four sons, Glenn Gwynn of Gilbert, Ariz., Michael Gwynn of Yokosuka, Japan, Patrick Gwynn of Fullerton, Calif., and Donald Gwynn of El Paso, Texas; seven grandchildren; four great grandchildren; and three sisters, Vivian Beck of Portland, N.D., Lillian Harrom of Dent, Minn., and Phyllis Lundeby of Dickinson, N.D.
Preceding Opal in death were her husband, Lester; daughter, Carol; five sisters, Helen Madsen, Gladys Reed, Edna Enger, Thelma Nelson and Doris Aune; and one brother, Steve Halvorson.
A memorial service was held at Emmanuel Nursing Home on Saturday, Feb. 11. Graveside services will be held in Badger, Minn., in June.
Schoeneberger Funeral Home, Perham, has been handling arrangements. Tributes may be posted online at the web site: schonebergerfuneralhome.com.
