A graveside service for Rosalind “Rosie” Varpness, 93, of Belview, will be Monday, August 31, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. at the Echo City Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday at Sunset Funeral Home in Echo. Viewing will be available inside, and the family will receive condolences outside the funeral home. Social distancing and mask requirements will be observed. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the cemetery, and interment will follow.
Rosalind “Rosie” Marie (Neraasen) Varpness was born on March 20, 1927, at home in rural Boyd, MN, to Hans and Hannah (Strand) Neraasen. She grew up on a farm in the Dawson-Boyd area. She attended elementary school in Boyd before graduating from Dawson High School. On February 22, 1948, Rosie was united in marriage to Harley Varpness at Grace Lutheran Church in Dawson. The couple raised their children in Dawson and Echo. In addition to caring for the home, Rosie also worked as a waitress and clerk, and she was a Para Professional for the Echo School for ten years, retiring in 1989. Rosie was also a member of the Echo American Legion Auxilliary. Rosie’s faith was important to her, and she was a member of American Lutheran Church in Echo until it closed, then joining Grace Lutheran Church in Belview. She taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, and was a member of WELCA at American Lutheran Church. Rosie enjoyed baking, sewing, gardening, walking, camping, and spending time in Starbuck. She especially enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren. Later in life, Rosie spent her time watching Wheel of Fortune and the Minnesota Twins, completing word searches, and playing solitaire.
Rosie died on August 26, 2020, at Parkview Senior Living in Belview. She is survived by her sons Jeffrey (Lisa) of Cottonwood and John (Ann-Marie) of Apple Valley; daughter-in-law Rozanne of Echo; son-in-law Scott Morehouse of St. Cloud; sister Elnore Bergeson of Dawson; 14 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Hans and Hannah Neraasen, husband Harley, son Jerome, daughter Janis Morehouse, sisters Swanhild Vanetter, Glenice Neraasen, and Avis Evenson, and brothers Harold Neraasen and Harlan Neraasen.