Irene W. (Waslien) Stemmer

Age 93 of Wayzata, Minnesota passed away Friday Nov 8, 2019. Born on April 20, 1926 the youngest of three, to parents Selmer and Ida Waslien in Hillsboro, North Dakota. Raised on the farm homesteaded by Soren and Helene Waslien,  she was 100% Norweigian of which she was very proud, but her children would say made her stoic, opinionated and terribly independent. Preceded in death by parents and siblings, Palmer (Ann),  Pearl Holmen (Bennie) and former husband, Lew Jr..  She is survived by her children, Luke III (Julie), and Gretchen (Larry); grandchildren, Luke IV (Michelle), Seth (Harmony), Hunter (Jessica), and great grandchildren, James August and  Gianna  son and daughter of Hunter and Jessica. After graduating form Hillsboro High School  she came to Minneapolis and attended one of the first classes of the Minnesota school of business.  She would arrive to Wayzata in 1945 as the new Administrative Secretary of the Wayzata School District and marry Lew Stemmer Jr. in 1949.  Worked at Wayzata Insurance Agency from 1963 to 1989 as Financial and Operations manager followed by 7 years for Targa Financial Inc.  At the age of 56 she returned to school and got her BA degree.  She retired at 70 yrs of age. She traveled extensively in Europe, Scandinavian Countries, Mexico, and several trips to Boundary Waters to canoe and ski and several winter stays in Florida. Served on Wayzata City Council 1980 to 83 and on the Wayzata Heritage Preservation Board 10 years where she worked to set up a working agenda for the Board and culminated her work on the Board with saving the Bushaway Road Trapper's cabin now located in Shaver's Park as a permanent reminder of the first log cabin homes built in Wayzata before it's 1854 beginning.
Memorial service will be on Tuesday November 19 at 11:00 AM with gathering one hour before at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church, 600 Hopkins Crossroad, Minnetonka. Private interment at Summit Park Cemetery. 
 

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