Cover photo for Elsie M. Bakken's Obituary
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1922 Elsie 2017

Elsie M. Bakken

May 8, 1922 — August 31, 2017

Elsie M. Bakken age 95 of Detroit Lakes, MN died August 31, 2017 at Essentia Health – Oak Crossing in Detroit Lakes, MN. Elsie Marie Bakken was born May 8, 1922 in the Strawberry Lake area of Becker County to John and Dagmar Kangas Janson. She attended the District 123 Country School near the Strawberry Lake Store. She rode a sleigh “bus” to and from school in the wintertime that her dad drove. At eighteen she moved to Chicago and worked several jobs, from housework to factory work, including the Curtis Candy Company and an airplane manufacturing plant during WWII. She also helped her sister Linda’s family move to Michigan, taking care of the kids and getting them settled. She then moved to Duluth and worked for Minnesota Mining (3M). She recalled that was her favorite job. She later spent time in Minneapolis, working for both Dayton’s and Montgomery Wards. Ten years before they were married, she met her husband John Bakken at Comet Ski-Ways in Snellman, MN at a sledding party. They were married April 18, 1959 at the Mennonite Church in Strawberry Lake. In 2009, they sold the family farm and moved into the Lincoln Park Senior Apartments in Detroit Lakes. A bout of pneumonia in January put them both into Oak Crossing. Elsie was a member of the Independent Apostolic Lutheran Church of Menahga. She enjoyed sewing, embroidery, flowers and gardening. She was an avid reader and loved puzzles of any kind. Elsie is survived by one son, Dean (Molly Coskran), of Arden Hills, MN; one daughter, Diane (Steve) Guenther, of Waubun, MN; two granddaughters, Erin Guenther and Elizabeth Guenther, both of Bemidji, MN; two brothers, Donald (Gerry) Janson, of Mpls, MN; and Raymond (Gloria) Janson, of Negaunee, MI; two sisters, Eleanora Junes, of Mpls, MN; and Luella (Pete) Linden, of Carlton, MN; many nieces, nephews, and a host of brothers and sisters in faith. Elsie was preceded in death by her husband, John; four brothers, Arvid Janson, Leonard Janson, Elmer Janson, and Edwin Janson; three sisters, Alma Johnson, Linda Seppanen, and Edna Tuominen; and her parents.
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