LaVina M. Bakken

LaVina M. Bakken, 98, of Garner passed away Saturday, February 15, 2020 at Concord Care Center in Garner.

Funeral services will be held 1:30 P.M., Friday, February 21, 2020 at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel, 160 E. 4th St., Garner with Rev. Scott Kozisek officiating. Burial will be at Concord Township Cemetery, Garner.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 P.M., Thursday at Cataldo Funeral Chapel in Garner and will resume one hour prior to services at the funeral chapel.

Memorials may be directed to St. Paul Lutheran Church.

LaVina Marjorie Bakken, the daughter of LeRoy and Gladys (Swenson) Tendall, was born March 18, 1921 at Clarion, Iowa. She attended the rural schools of Wright County and graduated from Belmond High School. After high school, she helped families in the area as a nanny. On November 29, 1947 she was united in marriage to Carrol Bakken at Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond. They lived on an acreage near Clarion until moving to a farm south of Garner in 1957. In 1976, they retired from farming and moved into Garner. In their retirement, they traveled across the country in their motor home and took trips to New Zealand and Norway. LaVina enjoyed spending time with her family, quilting, sewing and playing Scrabble.

She was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

LaVina is survived by her three children, Jim (Cheryl) Bakken of Forest City, Steve (Laurie) Bakken of Faribault, MN and Karen (Tom) Johnson of Garner; son-in-law, Mike Neely of New Brighton, MN; eight grandchildren, Cheila (Bryan) Frayne, Brenda (Edward) Simon, Dawn Mills, Brad (Brooke) Bakken, Alex Bakken, Heather (Nate) Klemm, Melanie (Steve) Thorne and Joshua Swalve; 17 great-grandchildren; her brother, Roger Tendall; brother-in-law, Richard Howieson; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Carrol, March 11, 2002; daughter, Annette Neely; an infant great-granddaughter, McKinley Mills; and three sisters, Ruby Hundertmark, Marilyn Howieson and Adilene Tendall.