In Memory of Lona Eklund-Musil

Lona Eklund-Musil, age 92, of Cambridge passed away January 12, 2008 at Grandview Christian Home in Cambridge. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, January 19th at Calvary Lutheran Church, Rush Point, with Pastor Keith Kolzow officiating. A time of visiting will be held 1 hour prior to the service Saturday at the church. Interment will be in the church cemetery.

Lona Anna Beise was born April 18, 1915 to Walter and Frieda (Quandt) Beise in Stewartville, Minnesota. She was baptized there and in 1919 her family moved to Rush Point. Lona was confirmed in the Rush Point Lutheran Church and attended school in Rush City, graduating from Rush City High School. Lona taught Sunday school at Rush Point Lutheran and also in Grandy. She was also a 4-H leader in Grandy.

Lona married Kermit Eklund in 1934 and they moved to St. Paul where they bought a grocery store and meat market. Their sons, Dwaine and Jim, were born in St. Paul. In 1942 Lona and Kermit sold the store and moved to the Eklund farm at Rush Point. After a few years on the farm they purchased the Grandy (Dodge Plymouth) Garage. In 1945 they moved into Grandy and operated the garage until Kermit got sick with cancer. He died in 1958. Lona then sold the garage and started working at the Cambridge State Hospital as a nurse. She really enjoyed caring for children there and in 1962 she transferred to Lake Owasso Children’s Home in St. Paul.

In 1962 Lona married John Eklund. They lived on the shores of Lake Owasso and enjoyed spending a few months in Florida each year. John died in 1975 and that same year Lona retired.

Lona later married Joseph Musil and they moved to Roseville. They spent ten winters in Arizona and enjoyed retirement until Joseph developed leukemia. He passed away in 1994. Lona moved to Mill Ridge Commons in Cambridge in October of 1994. The Grandview facilities and staff were very helpful to her through the years.

Lona was a member of North Heights Lutheran Church for 30 years and at Calvary Lutheran again in her later years. She enjoyed baking, especially baking cookies with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at Christmas time.

Lona will be lovingly remembered by her two sons, Dwaine (Shirley) Eklund of Stanchfield, and Jim (Bunny) Eklund of Grapevine, Texas; one step-son, Ronald (Ruthellyn) Musil of Neanah, Wisconsin; six grandchildren, Kenneth (Mary) Eklund, Michael (Diane) Eklund, Diana (Barry) Engdahl, Bradly Eklund, Beth (Bobby) Cunningham, and Brenda (Gary) McClure; 14 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandchildren, and by many other relatives and friends.

Besides her parents she was preceded in death by her three husbands, Kermit, John and Joseph, by one brother, Bernhard Beise, and two sisters, Ellanora Anderson and Marion Durner.