Florene L. Stolk

FOREST CITY - Florene L. Stolk, 98, of Forest City died Friday, June 15th at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 PM, Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at the United Methodist Church in Forest City, with Pastor Jerald Swanberg officiating. Burial will be at a later date in Lake Wilson, Mn. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Monday, June 18, 2012 at Petersen Lund Funeral Home, 505 North Clark, Forest City, Iowa and will continue one hour prior to services at the church. Florene (Flo) Loretta Stolk was born in Ceylon, Mn. on June 29, 1913 to Swedish immigrants Carl and Lucy (Hefinsky) Brandt. She was the oldest of three daughters. As a young girl, she and her sisters were separated and Flo was sent to live with a family near Lake Wilson, Mn. She was educated through the eighth grade and was trained to be a switchboard operator for the telephone company in Lake Wilson, Mn. In April of 1936 she married Vernon Fowser and they made their home in Lake Wilson. To this union was born one son, Robert Vernon. In June of 1940, Vernon died. Flo and her young son moved to Sherburn, Mn. in 1946 where she married Henry (Hank) Stolk. ...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

e family resided on a farm south of Sherburn until Hank's death in 1959. Flo then moved to Laurens, Ia. where she worked as a bookkeeper at the Farmer's Co-Op Elevator. In 1972 she moved to Forest City where she resided until her death. She worked at Fowser's Jewelry and always enjoyed meeting and visiting with customers. When Fowser's Jewelry closed in 1987, she continued to "patrol" the streets and chat with people. The last three years of her life she was a resident of Forest Plaza. Flo always enjoyed being with people. When she was on the farm in Sherburn, the coffeepot was always on and there were homemade goodies to share when friends and neighbors dropped in. Her two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren were a source of joy to her and she treasured times with family. She liked to crochet and made many beautiful afghans. Flo was always ready when friends invited her to go shopping or out for lunch. "I can always dust my furniture later.", she would say. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star in Minnesota and a member of the United Methodist Church. She is survived by her son, Robert (Karen) of Ames, Iowa; granddaughter Amy (Rick) Grunhovd of Forest City and grandson Scott (Mary) Fowser of Ankeny, Iowa. She is also survived by her four great-grandchildren, Molly Grunhovd of Humboldt, Ia; Alex Grunhovd of West Des Moines, Ia; Ivy Grunhovd of Forest City and Madeline Fowser of Ankeny, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her parents; her two sisters, Gladys and Irene; her husband Vernon in 1940 and Henry in 1959.