Twila June Stierlen

Twila Stierlen, 75 of Eagle Lake, rural Ashby died Sunday, February 12, 2023, with her family by her side.

Twila June was born June 17, 1947, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota to Benjamin and Florence (Larson) Lystrom. She was baptized in Grue Lutheran Church and confirmed in St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Garden Grove, California. Twila attended Rural School District #72 in Eagle Lake Township south of Battle Lake, before she moved to California where she graduated from Garden Grove High School in 1965. She definitely enjoyed her time as a California girl.

Twila married Wayne Stierlen on November 28, 1970, in Concord, CA.  They quickly moved to Hawaii for Wayne’s Naval Career and began their family with the births of their first two daughters, Tonya Dawn and Sarah Joy. While in Hawaii, she worked at Dial Finance, spent time with other Navy wives, and enjoyed her time on the beaches and in the sunshine. The family moved home to Minnesota in 1975 and settled on a dairy farm just north of Ashby in 1976. The births of daughters, Amy Tinnelle and Megan Lynette, soon followed. In addition to working hard on the dairy farm and raising four daughters, she established employment soon after at Security State Bank in Fergus Falls. She transitioned to the First State Bank of Ashby in 1987. From teller lines to loan officer, she truly enjoyed working at the bank. She took delight in helping and visiting with customers and was very fond of her coworkers. She retired in May of 2018 after 31 years of dedicated service. Twila was an active and loyal member of Grue Lutheran Church, serving as the treasurer of WELCA for many years. She cared deeply for the church and its community and strived daily to strengthen her relationship with God through her work within the church.

In 2017, one of Twila’s dreams came true when she moved into her newly built home on Eagle Lake in Ottertail County. She loved to be there enjoying every season minus snow storms and tornadoes! She relished the days when the lake house was full with her family. One of her greatest joys was entertaining her grandchildren by the water. Twila could always be found at the end of the dock with her grandchildren either baiting hooks, removing tiny sunfish, paddling in the kayaks, scoring dives and flips off the water mat, or stuck in the middle of the lake in the paddleboat.  When the sun would set, Twila would be by the bonfire with her family enjoying stories, music, dancing, and roasted marshmallows. She was dedicated to her “Nana duties'' by attending numerous school, church, and sporting events with her grandchildren in the spotlight. Never was there a better Nana.  Twila will be missed by her family as her love was felt by all.  Her daughters and her grandchildren were her heart.  And she lives on through them all.

Twila is survived by her four daughters, Tonya (Kevin) Onstad of Bemidji, MN; Sarah (Dylan) Goudge of Clearbrook MN; Amy (Jeremiah) Gaertner of Dassel MN; Megan (Nick) Olson of Ashby MN; grandchildren; Jon and Victoria Onstad; Benjamin, Trey, and Miles Goudge; Jonas, Jeremiah, Velouria and Samantha Swat of Sarasota FL; Henry and Abraham Olson and by numerous relatives and friends. Twila was preceded in death by her parents, Benjamin and Florence Lystrom; her brother Gary Lystrom; two sisters, Helaine Shaffer and Brenda Jones.

Memorial service will be held at Grue Lutheran Church at 11am Monday, February 20, 2023. Visitation will be Sunday, February 19 from 4pm to 6pm at the Glende-Nilson Funeral Home in Ashby. Interment will be at Grue Cemetery after the service.

Memorials preferred to Grue Church Women.