Herdis Lee

Herdis Svanes Lee, age 85 of Coon Valley, died Tuesday, August 7, 2012. Herdis Svanes Lee, beautiful mother, angelic grandmother, treasured aunt, sister, cousin, and friend to many, was called home into Jesus' arms on Tuesday, August 7, during one of many vacations taken with her family. She left us in deep grief, but we take comfort knowing she is once again with her husband, Papa, Mama, sisters Olaug and Petra, a baby lost prematurely, and many others who were anxiously waiting for her in heaven. Herdis was born on August 14, 1926, in a house beside the North Sea in Svanes, Norway, to Neval and Martha (Gyland) Svanes. She grew up playing beside the sea, jumping from rock to rock with her sisters, swimming in the cold waters and getting stung by jellyfish, and running through the sheep pastures to her one-room schoolhouse. When she was 11 years old, her beautiful mama died of tuberculosis, and Herdis and her sisters were raised by their grandparents at home while her father worked in different parts of the country. When Herdis was 14, she left home to make her own way. She worked in a Swedish sardine factory, in restaurants, and hotels. It was in a hotel in Stavanger, Norway, where she met her husband, Selmer, a handsome Pan American navigator from California. He was attracted to the gorgeous woman with the contagious laugh who checked his coat in. After a whirlwind romance, they married. Leaving her beloved Norway behind, Herdis moved with Selmer to San Jose, California. She spent many years being the best homemaker and mother she could be. The family moved to Wisconsin in 1974, and Herdis continued to work hard, putting her best effort into the family, house, garden, lawn, and her profession as a C.N.A. at Gundersen Lutheran where she worked for over 20 years before retiring at age 67. She spent the remainder of her years caring for her husband and children and grandchildren. Herdis was a dedicated fan of singer Daniel O Donnell, and she and her daughters took many trips to see him perform around the country. In the past year, Herdis had traveled to Minneapolis, Branson, Missouri, and to California and Nevada to visit old friends. She loved her job, her co-workers and patients, her friends, husband, and grandchildren, but most of all her daughters, Susan and Heidi, whom she called every day she didn't see them. Any time spent together was THE BEST time ever. A better mother there could never be. She is survived by her daughters, Susan (Craig) Wellman, Genoa, and Heidi (Randy) Overson of Coon Valley, eight grandchildren (Cherie and Jordan Vinson, Mari Lee, Kristen Overson, Jacob and Hallie Overson, and Zachary and Rachel Wellman), and one great grandchild, Julien. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, and one premature child. Funeral services will be held at the Coon Valley Lutheran Church on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 2:00 pm. Pastor Jimmy Bamberg will officiate with burial in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church an hour before the service. A celebration of life will be held at the Radisson Center in La Crosse at 5:00 pm. The Vosseteig Funeral Home of Westby is serving the family.