Obituary of Violet Detlefsen

A funeral service for Violet Detlefsen, age 88, of Lake Park, will be held Monday, April 17, 2017 at 10:30 AM at Concordia Lutheran Church in Lake Park. Burial will be at Round Lake Cemetery. Visitation will be on Sunday, April 16th from 5:00-7:00pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Lake Park. Violet Lilian Detlefsen was born November 9, 1928 in Dunmurry, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, the daughter of William and Alice (Rooney) Davey. She completed her schooling in Dunmurry, and was then employed at the Stewart's Mill linen factory and the Belfast Food Co-Op. In the spring of 1958 she traveled to the United States to visit her sister Eileen, who was living in Lake Park, Iowa. She was set up on a blind date with John Detlefsen by his sister Ruth Jensen and Eileen. After this first date, she informed her sister "I am going to marry that man". Vi and John were united in marriage on February 1, 1959 at Concordia Lutheran Church in Lake Park, IA, where they made their home. This union was blessed with three children, Valerie, Julie and Alan. While her children were growing up Vi was a homemaker. She went on to become head of housekeeping at the Lake Park Care Center upon its opening. She also cleaned houses at various locations in the Lakes Region. After 28 years of living in the US as a British citizen, Vi proudly became a US citizen in 1986, while still holding Ireland in her heart. Vi was a member of Concordia Lutheran Church in Lake Park, where she was active in the Ladies Guild. She was also a member of the Lake Park American Legion Auxiliary. She was an organizer for Dinner Date, and a volunteer with the nursing home and the Meals on Wheels program. She enjoyed knitting, baking, poetry, tending to her flowers and loved reading suspense novels. She especially cherished time spent with her grandchildren. Vi and John also enjoyed their winter trips to Thousand Palms, CA after retirement. Vi passed away at her home on April 11, 2017 at eighty-eight years of age. Left to cherish her memory are her children Valerie Detlefsen of West Des Moines, IA, Julie Detlefsen of West Des Moines, IA and Alan (Lacy) Detlefsen of Lake Park, IA; brother Lawrence of London, England; grandchildren Molly and Maggie Detlefsen, ages 7 and 2, and Riley Richard (16); brother-in-law and sister-in-law Gale and June Schoelerman; and many nieces and nephews both here and abroad. She was preceded in death by her husband John, her parents, five sisters and two brothers.