Vernice Ilene SIMONSON

Other Events and Attributes:

• Minnesota Birth Certificate: 1925-19456

Notes:

Vernice I. Stier, age 95, of Grand Meadow died Friday July 10, 2020 at her home in Grand Meadow.

She was born January 31, 1925 to Clarence and Bertha (Skogstad) Simonson on a farm near Grand Meadow. She attended and graduated from Grand Meadow High School in 1944 and was united in marriage to Phillip Stier on September 26, 1945 at St Finbarr Catholic Church in Grand Meadow and together they had 9 children. Vernice was a homemaker for the majority of her life, at age 60 she started working at Grand Meadow Health Care and continued to work there for 10 years. After her retirement from the Care Center Vernice and Phillip enjoyed wintering in Mesa, AZ for many years.  She enjoyed bowling, music, dancing, cocktail hour with a brandy old fashioned, playing pinochle and driving her golf cart around Grand Meadow but most of all she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and having a good time.

She is survived by her children; Annette (Pat) Hefling of Tomahawk, WI, Mark (Theresa) Stier of Grand Meadow, Connie (Frank) Mignone of Hamel, MN, Terry (Lisa) Stier of Montgomery, MN, Less (Chery) Stier of Grand Meadow, Pam (Craig) Stacey of Deephaven, MN, Patti Stier of Burnsville, MN and Jim (Randi) Stier of Grand Meadow, 28 grandchildren, 59 great-grandchildren and a great-great grandson.

She was preceded in death by her husband Phillip on October 24, 2006, a son Stephen, a grandson Brandon and 3 brothers; Everett, Chuck and Curt.

A public visitation will be held from 10 A.M. until 11 A.M. on Friday July 17, 2020 at St Finbarr Catholic Church. St Finbarr Catholic Church requests masks be worn and social distancing be followed.  A private funeral Mass for the family will take place later that day.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to her niece Julie Burgess for the loving care she extended to Vernice over the last couple years.

Vernice married Phillip Elbridge STIER on 26 Sep 1945. Phillip was born on 8 Jun 1926 in Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota; died on 24 Oct 2006 in Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota; was buried in Saint Finbarrs Cemetery, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He and two friends and their high school agriculture teacher died in Canada while on a “five-day graduation camping trip” in the Boundary Waters. Their canoe tipped over in Saganaga Lake and he died of drowning and hypothermia. All four wore life jackets and all were considered good swimmers.