Loretta C. (Buerskin) Nygaard

Loretta Nygaard, age 93 of Starbuck, died Monday, November 4, 2019 at the Minnewaska Lutheran Home in Starbuck. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 9th at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glenwood with Father Joe Vandeberg officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 8th at the Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Glenwood and then will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Burial will be in the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Glenwood. Arrangements are with the Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Glenwood.  

Loretta Cecilia Buerskin, the daughter of Bernard and Agnes (Suchy) Buerskin was born January 8, 1926 in Urbank, Minnesota. She grew up on a farm south of Urbank and attended the Catholic School there. Loretta enjoyed being raised on a farm and helping out her neighbors.  

On May 11, 1948, Loretta was united in marriage to Stanley Nygaard at St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church in rural Lowry. After their marriage, the couple moved to Parkers Prairie and later to Stanley’s home farm in Ben Wade Township, rural Lowry. Loretta and Stanley were blessed with four sons and two daughters. Loretta loved to help on the farm, especially with taking care of the animals. They raised chickens, ducks, cows, dogs, cats and pigs. If any of her family members had runt pigs, they would give them to Loretta and she would nurse them to health with a bottle.  She had a whole field of garden produce. Loretta grew everything they needed and then canned the excess to eat all year long. Loretta and Stanley continued to reside on the farm until 1973, when they sold it and moved into Glenwood. Along with working on the farm, Loretta was a nurse’s aide, working at Lakeview Care Center in Glenwood for 22 years.

When living near Lowry, Loretta and Stanley belonged to St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church where Loretta was active in the ladies aid and helped with many church meals. After moving to Glenwood they became members of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She was a member of the Glenwood American Legion, VFW, and Lakeview Nursing Home Auxiliaries. In February 1993 after sharing almost 45 years of marriage, Stanley passed away. Loretta continued to reside at home until 2011 when she moved into the Glenwood Estates. She resided there until October 2014, and then she made her home in the Minnewaska Lutheran Home in Starbuck, Minnesota until her death on November 4, 2019.

Loretta loved to sew, quilt and crochet. She made everyone in her family an afghan. She also embroidered many dish towels. She volunteered at the Glenwood Senior Citizen center from 1993 – 2010. Loretta especially loved to spend time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her sons: Bernard (Carol) of Maple, WI, Raymond (Ann) of Linwood, MN, Maynard (Susan) of Shoreview, MN and Michael Nygaard of Starbuck; daughter, Lynette (Norman) Lien of Glenwood; 16 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren; sisters, Clementine Tryggestad of Westby, WI and Josephine Erickson of Hebron, ND; sister-in-law, Carolyn Buerskin of Benson, MN; brother-in-law, Herbie Waskowsky of Wadena, MN; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends and all the other kids who called her “mom”.

Loretta was preceded in death by her parents; husband, daughter, Mary Magdalene Nygaard; brothers: Anthony, Norbert, Raymond and Daniel Buerskin; brothers-in-law, James Erickson and Rayness Tryggestad; sisters, Bernadette Kluver and her husband, Lorenz, Magdalene Schlosser and her husband, Alphonse and sister, Mary Jane Waskosky.

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