Elaine Grotte

Elaine Violet Grotte, 81, of Fergus Falls, died, Friday, February 26, 2010, at the Broen Memorial Home. She was born June 11, 1928, in St. Paul, the daughter of Albert and Mabel (Armbrust) Freitag. While she was a young girl, she moved with her family to Federal Dam, MN,  where her father owned a logging business. Later they moved to Minneapolis, where she graduated from Edison High School and completed a course in cosmetology. She then worked as a beautician in Minneapolis. On July 26, 1949, she married Luther Grotte at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis. They made their home in Fergus Falls. Elaine had many talents, one of which was restoring antique furniture, from an old 175 year old church organ to a simple side table. She would painstakingly remove the many layers of dirt and grime along with the multiple layers of top coats to reveal the exquisite wooden piece beneath as she sanded and varnished the piece to its former glory. She was also a wonderful seamstress and wasn’t afraid to tackle any item of clothing creating beautiful clothes, dolls, doll clothes and Barbie doll clothes. She would knit mittens and hats for her children and later grandchildren. Along the way she decided to take up upholstering furniture too. Elaine’s passion was for cooking and baking. She would love to entertain family and friends especially during the holidays. She enjoyed decorating the house with her Christmas village, setting up her Nativity set, dressing her table with her Christmas dishes, intertwining the classic colors of red, green and gold throughout the house along with the aroma of Christmas baking always in the background. She was an active member of the American Legion Auxiliary for 49 years, being the treasurer for over 35 of those years and also held various positions for the nineth District. She was also a leader for the American Legion Junior Auxiliary. She was an assistant den leader for Cub Scout Pack 304 and one year cooked the entire meatball dinner for their Blue and Gold Banquet for the whole pack. For a number of years she was a member of Grace United Methodist Church where she was a member of the Membership Committee before joining Church of Peace. At Church of Peace, she was a member of the UMW and on the Commission on Missions Board. Elaine cherished the close knit fellowship of Church of Peace and enjoyed having members over for coffee parties. Elaine is survived by her husband of 60 years, Luther; daughters, Cheryl Grotte, Linda (Steve) Frendin, Pamela (David) Iverson and a son Charles (Laurie) Grotte, all of Fergus Falls; ten grandsons, Ramin (Lilla) Narimani, Micah (Heidi) Narimani-their children Galilee, Enzo and Elsa, Kristopher (Tabitha) Iverson-their children, Laura and Addison, Michael (Lisa) Iverson-their children, Emily and Olivia, Adam (Erin) Iverson-their children, Levi and Maci, Zachary Iverson, Charles Iverson, Geoffrey Iverson, William Iverson, and Samuel Iverson; three granddaughters, Anahita (Richard) Cole-their children Gabriella and Montgomery, Amy (fiance Chris Lundin) Grotte and Matti Grotte; and one sister, Nona (Earl) Gulliford of Buffalo. Memorials are preferred to Otter Tail County Humane Society, the Parkinson Research or the Aspen Court Unit of the Broen Memorial Home, Fergus Falls.