Anna Ecklund

A Memorial Service for Anna M. Ecklund will be Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 11:00 A.M. at CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH, 150 - 5th Street, Marine on St. Croix. Interment Oakland Cemetery. Family will receive friends beginning at 9:30 A.M. until the time of service at the church. Memorials are preferred to Christ Lutheran Church.

Born in Chicago, IL on October 17, 1918, Anna died at The Villages in North Branch, MN on November 3, 2012, peacefully trying to recover from a previous fall. She was preceded in death by her mother and father George and Mary McLeish who were both born in Scotland; husband of 40+ years, Loren Ecklund; sister, Stella and her husband William Keck; sisters-in-law, DeLores and her husband Donald Ecklund, Emily and her husband Wayne Ecklund; and brother-in-law, Dwight Ecklund.

Survived by sons, Barrie and Bruce (Cindy) Ecklund; granddaughter, Laurin; nieces, Margret Keck, Kimberly (Alan) Salmela (daughter of Don and DeLores); nephew, Kent (Yvonne) Ecklund.

Anna worked for the gas company in downtown Chicago for many years after high school and very much enjoyed singing with their choral group and also singing on her own in various competitions in Chicago.

She met Loren Ecklund through her best friend Emily who had married one his brothers. They were married in 1956 and moved back to Minnesota, first Stillwater and then on to Marine on St. Croix, where they built a house in 1961. She lived in that house until due to falls and a fractured neck she was forced to transfer to care facilities.

Anna very much liked to travel. She would travel with her sister and her husband and they took at least two trips to Europe-which provided many wonderful slides of their adventures. After Loren's retirement from Andersen Windows, they would go on bus tours-due to her fear of flying. They had great trips to Alaska, Branson, and Nova Scotia. They also enjoyed car travel before they realized that it would be much easier to have someone else do the driving!

Anna was very involved in Christ Lutheran Church in Marine, serving as choir director for many years and remained a member of the choir after she relinquished her director's position. She was a member of the local Civic club and volunteered in town for many needs and took great pleasure in being a member of the Minnesota Historical Society for several years helping run the Stone House museum.