Alice Falken, age 94, of Toronto, SD passed away on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at the Hendricks Community Hospital Nursing Home in Hendricks, MN. Funeral service for the family will be at 10:30am on Saturday, January 9th at the Leganger Lutheran Church in Toronto. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Masks are required and social distancing is encouraged and for those who wish to listen to the service from their vehicle in the church parking lot tune to 88.1 FM. The service will also be recorded and on the church’s Facebook page. Burial will be at the Toronto City Cemetery. Houseman Funeral Home of Clear Lake, SD is entrusted with the arrangements.
Alice Mae Anderson was born on March 23, 1926 to Gilbert and Nathalie “Nettie” (Molstad) Anderson on a farmstead south and west of Toronto. The family later moved to what came to be the family farm, seven miles west of Toronto. She attended the Gravning school, graduated from Toronto High School and then attended Eastern Normal in Madison, SD. Following her graduation, she taught elementary school for two years at a rural school in the Hidewood valley. On October 19, 1946, she married Clifford Falken in Toronto. God blessed them with four children; Dianne, Myron, Dennis and Neil. The family lived on farmsteads in Clear Lake, Brandt and ultimately returning to Toronto. In 1976, Alice and Clifford purchased the local grocery store, Ensberg’s Grocery and then operated Falken’s Market for 13 years, retiring in 1989. After retirement, she served as a custodian at Leganger Lutheran, where she was an active member of the church and took great pride in making quilts for the needy. She also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of Norway. Alice enjoyed being outdoors in the yard and especially in and around her flower garden, of which she took such pride. She always enjoyed when friends and family would stop by to visit.
Alice is survived by her children, Dianne Oien of Gilbert, AZ; Myron (Anne) of Caledonia, MN; Dennis (Judy) of Brookings, SD and Neil (Diane) of Edina, MN as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Cliff; son-in-law, Terry Oien and all 9 of her siblings; Arlene, Grace, Roland, Raymond, Willis, Jarvin, Ernest, Allan “Bud” and Norman “Gene”.
