Doris Maxine Greenseth Obituary (1929

Doris Maxine Stensgaard Greenseth of Bloomington died at 5:46 p.m., Sunday, May 27, 2018 at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Illinois. Doris was born in the small town of Woodville, Wisconsin on April 8, 1929, to parents Julius and Gyda Swanson Stensgaard. She arrived in the world 11 years after her only sibling, Earl. Throughout her childhood, various family members resided with the Stensgaards, including her beloved Aunt Sarah. Doris's father worked for the United State Postal Service for many years as a rural mail carrier. In the cold, snowy winters, he was known to hitch up the horses to the sleigh so he could deliver the mail to surrounding communities. Doris's mother was a talented seamstress, as was her Aunt Sarah. Though her parents were not educated people, they were determined that Doris would attend college. All of them worked hard to make that happen. Doris held a number of jobs during her teens to help save for her college education, including working at the grocery store and the lumber yard. Doris graduated from Woodville High School in 1947. She began attending college at Eau Claire State Teacher College (now the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire) in the fall of 1947. In 1951, she graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education. She met Glen E. Greenseth at Eau Claire College, where he was earning a degree in secondary education. They began dating and became engaged. Doris and Glen were married at Zion Lutheran Church, Woodville, Wisconsin on June 16, 1951, and celebrated 60 anniversaries together. After they were first married, they lived in Eau Claire while Glen finished his last year at Eau Claire College. She taught at a grade school for a short time in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, until the birth of their first child, Lynn Marie. After Glen graduated, they moved to Medford, Wisconsin where he taught science at the local High School. Doris was a stay-at-home Mom. They had three more children while they lived in Medford: William (Bill) Allan, Karen Lee, and Ann Marie. They moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1959 so Glen could attend graduate school at Washington University. Then, when he was offered a professor position at Illinois State University, they moved to Normal, Illinois in 1960. From 1952 through 1968, Doris was homemaker, helping to raise four children. In addition, she did quite a bit of volunteer work at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Illinois. In 1968, Doris took a part-time secretarial position at St. John's, which was just the beginning of a long career at the church. She advanced from a secretarial position to being the Administrative Assistant to the Pastors, and then Parish Administrator. She served at St. John's for 25 years. After leaving St. John's, she worked part-time for several years at a local bank. Doris was devoted to her husband and family and was a talented and dedicated Parish Administrator. In addition to volunteer activities, Doris loved art and was especially fond of drawing and painting birds. She loved spending time at Lysthus, their cabin at Long Lake, Wisconsin, which Glen designed and Doris and their children helped to build. After retirement, Doris and Glen enjoyed many summers there, where family and many friends visited. Doris Greenseth was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church for 33 years. She and Glen joined Resurrection Lutheran Church in 1995. Resurrection Lutheran Church began as a mission congregation of the ELCA. Doris was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Glen Edward, as well as her father Julius J. Stensgaard, mother Gyda (Swanson) Stensgaard, brother Earl R. Stensgaard, brother-in-law Wayne Greenseth, sister-in-law Gail (Greenseth) Nelsen, and sister-in-law Cora (McConnaughey) Stensgaard. She is survived by her children, William (Sue) Greenseth, Portland, Oregon; Karen (Randy) Seligmann, Cincinnati, Ohio; Ann Greenseth, Glendale, Wisconsin; Lynn Langan, Peoria, Illinois, grandchildren Chad (Laura) Langan, Metamora, Illinois; Kate Greenseth, Portland, Oregon; Emily (Jordan) Hood, St. Louis, Missouri; Jill (Em) Greenseth, Portland, Oregon; Brad (Sara) Seligmann, Dayton, Ohio; Courtney Seligmann, Columbus, Ohio; Jennifer Langan, Peoria, Illinois, great-grandchildren, Emma Lee Langan, Metamora, Illinois; Ezra William Seligmann, Dayton, Ohio. Other survivors include Lois Greenseth Eichinger of Chippewa Falls, WI, as well as nieces and nephews in Wisconsin, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Washington. Memorial contributions may be made to Resurrection Lutheran Church in Bloomington or Home Sweet Home Mission in Bloomington. There will be a visitation Saturday, June 2, 2018 from 2:30-3:30 PM at St. John's Lutheran Church in Bloomington. The funeral will follow at 3:30 PM. Reverend Brian Deckinger will officiate. A light supper will be offered at St. John's after the service. Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home in Bloomington is handling arrangements.