Obituary of Verna Wik

Verna said "I want to go home".  On November 16th, after a short stay in the hospital, her wish was granted as she peacefully passed away in her apartment "home" at Hearthstone Murrayhill in Beaverton, Oregon.

  

Verna Amanda Larsen was born to Ingeborg Annetta and Christian Peder Larsen on February 8th, 1928 in McHenry, North Dakota. She was the youngest of 6 children; Hannah, Clarence, Marvin, Leo and Lester. She grew up on several farms and attended Glenfield Lutheran Church.  She often shared stories of the family gatherings with her Norwegian and Danish extended family that occurred after church. As a child during the depression, she rode to school in a horse drawn wagon and lived on farms without electricity or plumbing. She remembered playing in a Teepee ring on one of the farms where the family lived.  Verna learned the value of hard work at an early age drying dishes for her Mom and helping with the chickens.  She began driving at age 12 when she delivered a fully loaded truck to the grain elevator.  She moved to Austin, Minnesota during her Senior year of high school, graduating in 1946. In the fall she enrolled at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota to study interior design.  Little did she know while walking down the stairs of the Student Union building one day that a fellow student, Harold Wik, would see her and know "that is the girl I am going to marry".  They were married in November 1948. After Harold graduated, they moved to Valley City, North Dakota where Harold taught High School Chemistry for 4 years. While there, they had 3 daughters Karen, Rebecca and Rachel and took the task of raising the girls seriously, creating a warm sheltered and secure environment for all. In 1954 they moved to Beaverton, Oregon to be close to Verna's sister Hannah and her two brothers Clarence and Leo. Verna and Harold's fourth daughter Susan was born in 1956. 

 

When the family settled in Beaverton, Mom dedicated herself whole heartedly to motherhood, making great nutritious meals, sewing beautiful clothes and creating a comfortable home. As the girls got older Mom started carving out time for herself.  She acted on an early childhood memory of seeing a beautiful Norwegian rosemaled trunk in her Grandmothers attic.  She decided at age 5 she would learn the art of rosemaling.  That opportunity was presented in 1963 when her neighbor asked if she would like to take Tole painting lessons. Mom jumped at the chance and  began weekly classes and quickly demonstrated a mastery of her new found art. A few years later she was asked to teach Tole painting for the Beaverton School District Adult Education Classes. She accepted and expanded her teaching offering classes for 15 years in rosemaling and furniture refinishing.  She was also a member and served as President of the Village Gallery of Arts in Cedar Mill where she sold her art. Her beautiful artwork was well known in the area.

 

In 1964 our family moved into a 2 bedroom apartment while building a house in Cedar Mill. Harold was a teacher at Sunset High School and the school schedule involved split shifts.  During that year Verna was the glue that held the family together while at the same time working side by side with the Architect to design and coordinate the building of our home. Through the years Verna designed beautiful landscaping and flower gardens filled with color.  In later years she designed and built a new patio and created a "sanctuary" outside the bedroom, where Mom and Dad would enjoy a glass of wine. Mom and Dad's vivid memories of childhood family gatherings spurred them to start their own annual Christmas gatherings filled with Scandinavian traditions. As our family grew, Mom and Dad thoroughly enjoyed their 13 Grandchildren and 14 Great Grandchildren who now treasure the traditions their Grandparents passed along.

 

After Dad's retirement, Mom and Dad continued to travel, taking scenic drives and long road trips in the U.S. and Canada.  One of their favorite things to do while traveling was to "go junking", meaning they would stop at antique stores, flea markets, and junk stores finding pieces of furniture in need of TLC. After hauling their treasures home they worked their magic in their shop, completely refinishing pieces into beautiful furnishings. Their hobby turned into Verna's small business. She held an annual sale and refinished furniture for appreciative clients.  Our families were recipients of the fruits of their labor, furnishing our homes with incredibly beautiful furniture.

 

Mom and Dad had many wonderful years together prior to Dad's sudden death at age 73. One month later, Mom was diagnosed with lymphoma. Even with her immense grief, Mom was determined to beat the cancer, stating "my girls just lost their Father and they aren't going to lose their Mother too".  She fought hard and survived five recurrences of lymphoma.  Her Oncologist referred to her as "the Energizer Bunny".  

 

While living alone, Mom took full advantage of her gift of time by expanding her horizons. She enjoyed three tours to Norway. One of the tours included advanced classes in rosemaling and wood carving. She attended a seminar on Family Ancestry at the Vesterhiem Museum in Iowa. She went on a Fall Color cruise in New England and Canada. She surrounded her home with beautiful flower gardens and trees.  She was a member of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, and for years, volunteered time beautifying the church grounds with her gardening talents. Mom also arranged and placed flowers from her garden on the Altar.  Mom happily shared her basement apartment for years with three of her grandkids and family friends.  She was grateful for their company.  Mom continued working on furniture in the shop and immersed herself in rosemaling pieces for her home and family.  In 2011 Sue and her husband Greg took her on a "do you remember when" road trip to North Dakota and Minnesota. She thoroughly enjoyed finding the farms she lived on. We visited McHenry, Glenfield, Red Willow Lake Bible Camp, Mabel Lutheran Church where she and Dad were married, the family cemetery, Valley City. While in Minnesota she stood on the steps where she and Dad met, visited the Wik family farm with Harold's Brother Verne, and reminisced about our many family vacations to Minnesota.  In 2014 Mom decided to move to a new "home". Within six months she was settled at Hearthstone at Murrayhill where she enjoyed six years in their assisted living community.

 

As Mom grew older, she would often reflect on her early days as a North Dakota farm girl.  Life was difficult but one had to persevere. This foundation served her well. If one commented on her ability to rise up to a challenge she would attribute that to her faith, prayer and mid-western stubbornness.  Our families called that determination and courage.

    

Verna was preceded in death by her parents, sister Hannah, brothers Lester, Marvin and Clarence and husband Harold

 

Mom was loved and will be missed by her girls and their extended families:

Karen and Bruce, Rebecca and Kengo, Rachel and Richard, Sue and Greg, 13 Grandchildren and 14 Great Grandchildren, Her brother Leo and 17 Nieces and Nephews.

 

No service is planned at this time

 

Those who wish to remember Verna may donate to their favorite charity.

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