Luella Emilie Jurgenson

Mankato Mortuary 1001 N. Riverfront Drive Mankato, Minnesota 56001 507-388-2202 Luella "Lu" Jurgenson, age 90, of Mankato died Friday, February 13, 2015 at Hillcrest Health Care Center in Mankato, Minnesota. A funeral service will be held at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Mankato on Saturday, February 21, 2015, Rev. John Petersen officiating. Visitation will be prior to the service at the church from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Nashville Cemetery at Truman, MN. Mankato Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Luella was born in Fairmont, MN on August 29, 1924 to Edward and Amanda (Nolte) Wessel. She attended country school in rural Truman, MN through the 8th grade. She married Donald Jurgenson on February 11, 1950 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Truman. The couple lived in Granada, Lewisville, Truman, and Comfrey, MN, farming until Donald's death in 1971. She attended Mankato State College, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Library Science. She resided in Mankato, MN and worked at the Blue Earth County Library for several years, and then as a House Mother at Bethany Lutheran College until her retirement. Luella enjoyed gardening, sewing, cooking, reading, and was a self-taught expert on the music of J. S. Bach. She was a founding member of the Minnesota Valley Chorale, and enjoyed singing in that group for several years. She spent her early retirement years visiting family and friends, including tours in Germany and England, as well as trips to the east coast and Florida to visit some of her children. She was a long-time member of Mt. Olive Lutheran church, where she enjoyed attending worship services regularly. She is survived by four sons: James (Dori), Philip (Jean), Thomas (Patti), Ronald; one daughter: Rebecca (Jody) Erickson; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; three brothers: Loren (Beulah) Wessel, Edward (Sylvia) Wessel Jr., Howard (Lucille) Wessel; eight sisters-in-law; and numerous nieces and nephews. Luella was preceded in death by her husband Donald; her parents; sister Elfrieda Turnmire; brothers Harold, Walter, Reinhardt, and Roger Wessel; parents-in-law Ellsworth and Elsie Jurgenson; brother-in-law Robert Jurgenson; husbands of sisters-in-law Marvin (Marilyn) Sternke, Stan (Jean) Nelson, and Ralph (Sharon) Maloney.