Obituary: Elsa Pearson

Elsa Viola Karlsson Pearson, 94, peacefully left this worldbrto join her Lord and her beloved husband Ingemar, on November 18, 2020 at FaithbrLutheran Home in Osage, Iowa. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. onbrMonday, June 28 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Osage with Rev. Cindy Krausebrofficiating. Burial will be at Osage Cemetery.

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Elsa Viola Karlsson was born in Göteryd, Kronoberg, Swedenbron November 22, 1925 to Karl Fredrik Karlsson and Ester Wilhelmina Lindqvist.brShe had five brothers and seven sisters. Elsa was baptized and confirmed atbrAnnerstads Kyrka. Her confirmation verse was John 6:67-69 and her confirmationbrsong was “Jesus Kar, Var Mig Nar”. She attended school and after graduationbrworked various jobs including in a hospital, a gas mask factory, and a bakery.brIt was at the bakery in Ljungby that she met the young man who would become thebrlove of her life and partner for the next 72 years, Ingemar Pearson.   

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In 1947 Elsa became engaged to Ingemar and shortlybrafterwards he immigrated to the United States to work for his uncle. After abryear, Elsa sailed to New York on the Svenska Amerika Lines. Ingemar drove frombrIowa to New York to meet her at the boat, and they decided to get marriedbrimmediately. At her insistence, they found a pastor who spoke Swedish and theybrwere married on April 23, 1948 in Niagara Falls, New York.    

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Ingemar and Elsa started their married life together farmingbrnear Madrid, Iowa for seven years. They both learned farming, learned English,brbecame citizens, and became parents when Christie and Gary were born. 

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In 1955 they purchased their first farm in northern Iowa.brElsa worked in the field alongside Ingemar. She also raised chickens, soldbreggs, and kept the home. She was an outstanding cook and baker, Swedish ryebrbread and rice pudding being just a couple of her specialties. 

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Elsa loved to read and had a deep faith. She made sure Garybrand Christie attended Sunday school and confirmation, even though church was 15brmiles away from the farm. She was a circle member at Our Savior’s Lutheran andbrlater a member of the David Ladies Aid. She was also a member of thebrJust-a-Mere club, a neighborhood club in Little Cedar. In retirement shebrlearned how to golf and quickly became highly skilled, winning local trophiesbrand prizes. She was also good at crafts, sewed, knitted, painted china, andbrcreated a beautiful ceramic creche. Elsa enjoyed traveling alongside Ingemarbrand friends, and together they explored the U.S. and Canada in their RV. Theybrmade trips “home” to Sweden every few years and hosted their Swedish familybrmembers in the U.S. often. They began spending winters in Arizona in the earlybr1970’s and continued that tradition until 2018. Elsa was not an extrovert, butbrshe loved to play cards and laugh with family and a number of very closebrlifelong friends.  

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Elsa had a kind and gentle spirit. Even as dementia took herbrmemory over the last few years of her life, she was always gracious, even whenbrrecognition was not there. The words to her favorite hymns also stayed in herbrhead and heart and she loved to sing One Day at a Time, Jesus Loves Me, and Inbrthe Garden with family visitors. She dearly loved her children, grandchildrenbrand great-grandchildren and was close to each one of them.   

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Elsa is survived by her half-sister, Hilma Johansson and herbrsister-in-law, Ingbritt Arvidson both of Sweden; her children, Christie (John)brBrandau of Osage, and Gary (Cheryl) Pearson of Osage, four grandchildren:br Ingbritt Pearson of Osage, Iowa; Jennifer (Kyle) Carlson of Olathe,brKansas, Kara (Sean) Califf of Ankeny, Iowa; Ben (Monique) Brandau of QueenbrCreek, Arizona; and eight great-grandchildren:  Emma, Andrea, and SamuelbrCaliff; Annika, Linnea, and Luke Carlson; Trenton and Tatum Brandau.   

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She is preceded in death by her husband, Ingemar, and herbrparents and siblings in Sweden.

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Champion Funeral Home, Osage, 641-732-3706, www.schroederfuneralhomes.com

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