Hulda Rossum

Hulda Rossum, age 96 passed away peacefully on Monday, December 25 at the Care Center in Brandon with her family at her side.

Hulda Viola Nordlund was born near Clitheral Minnesota on January 22, 1921. She was the second of eight children born to Axel and Alma Nordlund (Lingensjo). She was born in her grandparent’s house on Lingensjo Lake and was baptized in the Lutheran faith.  She spent her youth at various places in the Clitheral and Leaf Mountain area. During those years her famliy’s home burned down twice, and they spent the winters in a tent bermed up with sod.

When she was 15 years old, with no High School nearby, Hulda dropped out of school and hired out to work near Evansville. Two years later her family moved to New York Mills and she moved there to attend High School.  After one year, she returned to the Evansville area and graduated from Evansville High School in 1940. In November of 1939 she hired Charles Rossum to take her to New York Mills to her parent’s house for Thanksgiving and again for Christmas. The next time she saw Charlie was in February of 1940 while roller skating in Evansville. They were married on July 4, 1940 in Garfield Minnesota. To this union 4 children were born. They lived in Alexandria while Charlie worked for the railroad, and then was inducted into the Army in July of 1945.  After his discharge on October 25, 1945 they rented a farm south of Evansville and farmed there for 3 years and in 1948 bought a farm south of Brandon and farmed there until 1957. In 1957 they moved to Montlcair California. In 1958 the family returned to Minnesota and built the first all-electric house in Douglas County in Brandon. During this time Hulda worked several jobs, and also operated the Brandon Café for 2 years.  In 1966 they moved to St. Paul and Hulda worked at the Minnesota State Offices as a clerk and in 1968 they returned Brandon.   At this time, Hulda decided to share her artistic gifts with others, and began a ceramics business by teaching the art of ceramics to others in the community.

Hulda was a very talented person who loved to paint and many of her paintings were sold in the Brandon community and around Minnesota. She was also a writer of hundreds of poems over the years.  At the young age of 82, she started playing the harmonica and surprised many by playing a requested song beautifully on a moment’s notice.  Her friends and her family were always very important to her. She liked to play Yahtzee, but she especially liked to spend time with her grandchildren, great- grandchildren and great-great grandchildren and would play the harmonica for them. She loved gardening and was a member of the Brandon Merry Tillers Garden Club and the American Legion Auxiliary. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Brandon since 1952 where she taught Sunday school and was an active member of the Ladies Aid. In her later years, she especially liked the quilting activities at Grace. Her faith was very strong she instilled that in her whole family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Axel and Alma Nordlund, husband Charles, brothers Arvid, Ervin, Arthur and Roger, sisters Wilma, Linda and infant sister Dolly, daughter Carol Koep, and great grandson Rocky Lund.

She is survived by daughter Colleen Lund and husband Dennis, sons Lynn Rossum and wife Sharon, and Gene Rossum and wife Mary, 14 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, 40 great-great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held on Saturday December 30, at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Brandon. Visitation will be Friday December 29 from 4:00 to 7:00 at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria and one hour prior at the church on Saturday. Burial will be at the Brandon Cemetery. Arrangements are with the Anderson Funeral Home.