Irene Bethel

Irene Bethel, 79, of Fergus Falls, died Saturday, February 27, 2010, at the Pioneer Retirement Community in Fergus Falls.  Irene Elmina (Olson) Bethel was born June 21, 1930, in Runeberg Township of Becker County, Minnesota, the daughter of William Charles and Vivian Mary (Parvi) Olson. Irene attended a rural school which was located less than a mile from her home. However, the school burned to the ground when she was in grade school, and she finished her schooling and graduated in 1948 from the Menahga Public School. On July 24, 1948, she married Leo Bethel at the Olson farm home in Runeberg Township. They made their home in Bertha, Minnesota, and then in Park Rapids, Minnesota. In 1957 they moved to a farm home northwest of Menahga, Minnesota. Leo passed away suddenly on December 2, 1975. Irene continued to live on the farm until the spring of 1993 when she moved to Otter Tail County, Minnesota. She lived in a rural home near Dent, Minnesota until June of 2007. She attended the Church of Christ in Park Rapids and Perham, Minnesota. Irene was a strong and independent woman that loved the country life and enjoyed gardening and her dogs. She also loved biking and cross country skiing. She was an excellent cook and loved to sew and embroider. She cherished her children and grandchildren and leaves many of her talents and traits instilled within them. Family was important to Irene and she will be deeply missed by them. In addition to her activities as a mother and grandmother, Irene was employed in several occupations including as a school bus driver, retail sales clerk and meat wrapper in several locker plants, housekeeping in a local nursing home and at a local resort, and retail clerk in a landscaping and gardening facility. Her last employment was at the Otter Tail County Historical Society, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Along with her husband, they volunteered as leaders of a Becker County 4-H club as well as coaching a little league baseball team. Irene moved to the Broen Home in June of 2007, the Pioneer Senior Cottages in September of 2008, and then to the Pioneer Retirement Community in October of 2009. She is preceded in death by her husband, Leo, a grandson, Brad; three sisters, Lila, Sylvia and Hilda, and two brothers, Robert and Edward. Survivors include her four children, Luckie Bethel of Billings, Montana, Lyle (Irma) Bethel of rural Dent, MN, Larry (Anita) Bethel of Fergus Falls, MN, and Lynette Bethel of rural Rothsay, MN; six grandchildren: Lance, Sherry, Lynnae, Leanne, Josalynn, and Rochelle; and three great-grandchildren: Jessica, Joshua, and Leo. Visitation:  5-7 p.m. Thursday, March 4, 2010, at the funeral home with a 6:30 p.m. prayer service Clergy:  Chaplain Harry Olson Funeral Home: Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls There will be a private family service at a later date, with interment to be at Green Valley Cemetery in Menahga, Minnesota. Condolences may be sent online at www.olsonfuneralhome.com