Lois L. (Cunningham) Berggren

Lois “Louie” L.  (Cunningham) Berggren, 95, of St Paul, passed away Thursday, September 26, 2019 at Brookefield Park in St. Paul.

Services will be at 10:30 A.M. on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at the United Methodist Church in St. Paul.  Interment will be in the Fairdale Sunrise Cemetery in rural Howard County.  The Reverend Dr. Russ Anderson will be officiating.

Visitation will be from 5-7 P.M. on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at Jacobsen-Greenway-Dietz Funeral Home in St. Paul.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the family to be designated at a later date.

Lois was born on October 25, 1923 to Emery and Clara (Arehart) Cunningham, on the farm near Cedar Rapids, NE.  She attended grade school in Greeley County and graduated from Spalding High School in 1942.   After graduation, she obtained her teachers certificates in Columbus, NE.  In 1943, she taught at Pibel School in Wheeler County and then she taught at Troy School in Greeley County in 1944.  In the spring of 1944, she took telegram training at the B-29 Plant in Omaha.  Then in 1945, she went back to being a school teacher at the District 56 School in rural Howard County.

Lois married her beloved Rudolph (Rudy) Berggren in St. Paul, NE on November 17, 1946.   To this union two sons were born: Donald & Terry.  The couple enjoyed square dancing together as well as spending time with their family on the farm.  The boys kept Lois and Rudy busy with 4-H, sports, band, and various other school activities and she enjoyed it all. Lois was the neighborhood Avon Lady and she had many customers for many years.  They all looked forward to the day Lois would stop by their homes.  Lois was a med-aide at Heritage Nursing Home for 17 years.  In 1988 she retired so she could take care of her grandchildren.

Lois and her sisters enjoyed many trips together over the years. She served on the Howard County FHA and was active in the National and State Farmers Union, She was a 66 year charter member of the Howard County Extension holding offices at the local and state levels. Lois was a member of the Fun and Learn Extension Club.  She was also a member of the Fairdale, Wolbach, and St. Paul Methodist Churches.  She was active in the women’s groups in all of these churches. Her hobbies included gardening, sewing, cooking, and baking.  She enjoyed taking baked goods and her embroidery work to the fair, where she received many purple ribbons.  She also enjoyed her flower and vegetable gardens.

Lois and Rudy lived in the Fairdale area on the farm their entire married life.  Rudy died in 1999.  Lois stayed on the farm until 2009, then moved to Parkside Plaza in St. Paul where she made many friends. While she lived at Parkside Plaza, she volunteered at the Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop and served on the St. Paul Housing Board as well as the Parkside Resident Council. Once her health started to fail, she moved to Matelyn Assisted Living in St. Paul.  In January of 2019, she moved to Brookefield Park.  She enjoyed the activities and visiting with people.  She will be greatly missed by her family & friends.

Those left to cherish her memory include her sons and daughters-in-law, Don and Lynda Berggren of rural St. Paul and Terry and Trish Berggren of Farwell; grandchildren, Dane Berggren (Shelby Peitzmeier) and Logan Berggren, all of rural  St. Paul, Tayden Berggren of Farwell, and Keenan Dawson of Steamboat Springs, CO; great-grandsons, Connor and Parker Berggren of rural St. Paul; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Lois was preceded in death by her parents, Emery and Clara Cunningham; husband, Rudolph (Rudy) Berggren; 2 sisters; 1 brother; and numerous sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.