Mabel Fick Mykleby

Mabel Fick Mykleby, 99 of Fergus Falls, died Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at Lake Region Hospital.

She was born on April 2, 1916 in Elizabeth, Minnesota the sixth of eleven children of Gottlieb and Bergetta (Smith) Fick. She was baptized at St John’s Lutheran Church in Elizabeth. As a young child, the family moved to a farm in the Ashby area. Mabel was confirmed in the Grue Lutheran Church nearby. Along with her family they moved to the Dalton area, where she attended grade school at District #8. She attended high school in Battle Lake and graduated with the Class of 1934. She then attended the Teacher Training Course in Fergus Falls and later attended Moorhead State College. She taught in the one-room rural schools in Otter Tail County for ten years during the depression era.

In 1939 she married Adren Mykleby. Together they farmed the Mykleby home farm east of Dalton for ten years, then moved to St. Louis Park, MN where they lived for twenty three years. Mabel was employed at the Powers Store in Knollwood for twenty year. In 1973 she retired along with her husband. They spent 19 years in Mesa, Arizona and the summers at their lake home on Ten Mile Lake. When her husband became ill, they moved into the “Schoolhuset” Apartments in Dalton in 1988. On the first of May, 2004 she moved into the Alcott Manor apartments in Fergus Falls.

She loved various crafts, making items for her friends and family to treasure. She especially loved making dolls and collecting porcelain dolls of story book characters. Her favorite was the ‘Little House on the Prairie’, the Ingall’s family characters.

After the death of her husband in 1994, she wrote a book ‘My Journey’ of family memories for her family to enjoy.

Her five grandchildren were very special to her. She often remarked “Grandchildren are God’s reward for growing old”. She felt very fortunate to have attended their baptism, confirmation, high school graduation, college graduations and most weddings. The circle continued with each great grandchild.

She was very proud of two grandsons serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Col. Scott Mykleby was the lead pilot, flying a Cobra Stallion helicopter, in the daring rescue of Major Scott O’Grady, shot down in the Bosnian conflict on June 8, 1995.

Col. Mark Mykleby graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1987. Mabel and her husband attended that graduation. He was a jet fighter pilot who has flown many missions over Bosnia and Iraq. Both served in the Iraq War; two sessions.

Mabel was a member of Our Saviors-Ten Mile Lake church, a member of its Esther Circle and the ELCA Women. She was an avid Minnesota Twins fan, who truly enjoyed baseball. She loved her many walks through the woods on the farms. She enjoyed checking on the wild flowers, the Jack in the Pulpits and the Red Honeysuckle in the early spring and later picking berries and wild strawberries and just checking out the birds chirping in the trees. She loved keeping in touch with the many dear friends from Canada and the many States they met while wintering in Arizona for twenty years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, five brothers, four sisters, and her husband, Adren in 1994 a son, Charles as well as a grandson, Steven Hart in 2008.

Mabel is survived by her daughter, Gail Hart (and special friend Ed Gould) of Minnetonka, a daughter-in-law, Nancy Mykleby of Shorewood, four grandchildren; Col. Scott (Janice) Mykleby of Chesapeake, Virginia, Col. Mark (Lisa) Mykleby of Beaufort, So. Carolina, Lisa Marie (Jim) Stockstad of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Brian (Chiri) Hart of Rosemount, a grand daughter-in-law, Kristi Hart of Coon Rapids, eight great grandchildren; Paul and Keaghlan Mykleby, Keaton Mykleby, Tyler and Anna Stockstad, Nicholas and Rachel Hart, Kaden Hart and Morgan Hart, a brother Gene Fick of Underwood and a very special niece and her husband, Bonnie and Jim Borgrud of Ashby.

Memorials preferred to American Heart Association.

Visitation: One hour prior to the service at Broen Home Light and Life Auditorium
Service: 1 p.m. Saturday, January 16, 2015, Broen Home Light and Life Auditorium, Fergus Falls
Clergy: Matthew Zelie
Burial: Knollwood Memorial Gardens, Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Funeral Home: Olson Funeral Home, Fergus Falls, Minnesota