Berdella Lien
d. December 14, 2015
Berdella Thelmina Lien was born April 18, 1913, the daughter of Sven and Anna (Kollin) Sheggeby in Sioux Agency Township, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota.
She was baptized and confirmed at Rock Valley Lutheran Church of rural Echo. She attended Yellow Medicine County District 65 Rural School and graduated from the 8th Grade in 1926. She then attended the Madison Lutheran Normal School for four years and received her high school diploma in 1930. While there she participated in choir, drama/plays, and played girls basketball. From there she went on to St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN and graduated with a BA degree in 1935. She also received a Library Degree in 1939 from the University of Minnesota.
Her first teaching job after graduating from college was at Midland, South Dakota, where she taught English, Latin and Journalism for three years. From there she moved to Sebeka, MN where she taught English and History. After that she taught and was the Principal at Maynard, MN for five years, from 1940-1945. In 1945 she moved to Washington DC where she worked for the National Lutheran Council-Division of American Missions (NLC), and served as a Parish Worker; doing assignments at several locations in the U.S. from Washington DC to Seattle, WA. It was while she was working for the NLC that she met Kermit Lien.
In the summer of 1952 Berdella and her sister Florence went on a wonderful trip to Europe, one which they both always talked about and had fond memories of. They met in NYC and flew to London; then toured Norway and Sweden on their own before joining the Scandinavian Traveling Seminar group in Rome to visit ten more European countries. Special memories for them were finding Grandma Kollin’s birthplace in Nore, Numedal, Norway; the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) meeting in Hanover; the audience with the Pope in Rome, their train ride through the Swiss Alps, and all the beautiful cathedrals, castles, art galleries, plays and operas they saw and experienced on that trip. The summer of 1952 was one Berdella never forgot and always liked to reminisce about.
On June 30, 1963, Berdella was united in marriage to Kermit Lien at the Rock Valley Lutheran Church. They lived in Maynard, MN following their marriage, and she taught English at the Maynard High School. She was an active member of Maynard Lutheran Church. She also loved the outdoors, bird watching and gardening, and was a member of the Garden Club at Maynard. She loved to go on long walks (up until she was nearly 100 she would enjoy walking every day the weather permitted her to). She and Kermit enjoyed many trips together throughout the United States, and they also were able to spend several winters together in Mesa, AZ, where they resided in the Good Life R.V. Resort, by her sister and brother-in-law, Florence and Jennings Anderson.
She loved visiting and spending time with her relatives and friends. She always was willing to help others whenever or however she could, and while living in Granite Falls was a faithful visitor to many residents of the GF Manor for many years. She will always be remembered by her nieces and nephews as the “program organizer” at all the family get togethers; as well as for the wonderful example she set for all of them her entire life, with her strong and never failing faith in God.
As she grew older Berdella moved from her apartment in Granite Falls to Granite Ridge Place, where she resided for many years; and then in January of 2012 she moved to Fieldcrest Assisted Living in Cottonwood, and in July of 2014 to Riverside Assisted Living in Granite Falls. Berdella passed away peacefully on Monday December 14th at Riverside. She was 102 years old.
Berdella is survived by her nieces and nephews: Sidney Sheggeby. Ardath Solsrud, Stanley Sheggeby, Margaret Sheggeby, Raymond Sheggeby, Ann Albertson, Paul Sheggeby, Kris Campbell, Jennifer Johnson and Saralee Kietzmann; as well as by her husband Kermit’s nieces and nephews; and by many great and great-great nieces and nephews on both the Sheggeby and Lien sides. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Kermit in 1996; her five brothers: Orrin, Kenneth, Stanford, Prescott and Elmer, her two sisters: Theressa Sheggeby and Florence Anderson; and four Sheggeby nephews: Stephen, Philip, Alan and Keith.
She was baptized and confirmed at Rock Valley Lutheran Church of rural Echo. She attended Yellow Medicine County District 65 Rural School and graduated from the 8th Grade in 1926. She then attended the Madison Lutheran Normal School for four years and received her high school diploma in 1930. While there she participated in choir, drama/plays, and played girls basketball. From there she went on to St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN and graduated with a BA degree in 1935. She also received a Library Degree in 1939 from the University of Minnesota.
Her first teaching job after graduating from college was at Midland, South Dakota, where she taught English, Latin and Journalism for three years. From there she moved to Sebeka, MN where she taught English and History. After that she taught and was the Principal at Maynard, MN for five years, from 1940-1945. In 1945 she moved to Washington DC where she worked for the National Lutheran Council-Division of American Missions (NLC), and served as a Parish Worker; doing assignments at several locations in the U.S. from Washington DC to Seattle, WA. It was while she was working for the NLC that she met Kermit Lien.
In the summer of 1952 Berdella and her sister Florence went on a wonderful trip to Europe, one which they both always talked about and had fond memories of. They met in NYC and flew to London; then toured Norway and Sweden on their own before joining the Scandinavian Traveling Seminar group in Rome to visit ten more European countries. Special memories for them were finding Grandma Kollin’s birthplace in Nore, Numedal, Norway; the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) meeting in Hanover; the audience with the Pope in Rome, their train ride through the Swiss Alps, and all the beautiful cathedrals, castles, art galleries, plays and operas they saw and experienced on that trip. The summer of 1952 was one Berdella never forgot and always liked to reminisce about.
On June 30, 1963, Berdella was united in marriage to Kermit Lien at the Rock Valley Lutheran Church. They lived in Maynard, MN following their marriage, and she taught English at the Maynard High School. She was an active member of Maynard Lutheran Church. She also loved the outdoors, bird watching and gardening, and was a member of the Garden Club at Maynard. She loved to go on long walks (up until she was nearly 100 she would enjoy walking every day the weather permitted her to). She and Kermit enjoyed many trips together throughout the United States, and they also were able to spend several winters together in Mesa, AZ, where they resided in the Good Life R.V. Resort, by her sister and brother-in-law, Florence and Jennings Anderson.
She loved visiting and spending time with her relatives and friends. She always was willing to help others whenever or however she could, and while living in Granite Falls was a faithful visitor to many residents of the GF Manor for many years. She will always be remembered by her nieces and nephews as the “program organizer” at all the family get togethers; as well as for the wonderful example she set for all of them her entire life, with her strong and never failing faith in God.
As she grew older Berdella moved from her apartment in Granite Falls to Granite Ridge Place, where she resided for many years; and then in January of 2012 she moved to Fieldcrest Assisted Living in Cottonwood, and in July of 2014 to Riverside Assisted Living in Granite Falls. Berdella passed away peacefully on Monday December 14th at Riverside. She was 102 years old.
Berdella is survived by her nieces and nephews: Sidney Sheggeby. Ardath Solsrud, Stanley Sheggeby, Margaret Sheggeby, Raymond Sheggeby, Ann Albertson, Paul Sheggeby, Kris Campbell, Jennifer Johnson and Saralee Kietzmann; as well as by her husband Kermit’s nieces and nephews; and by many great and great-great nieces and nephews on both the Sheggeby and Lien sides. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Kermit in 1996; her five brothers: Orrin, Kenneth, Stanford, Prescott and Elmer, her two sisters: Theressa Sheggeby and Florence Anderson; and four Sheggeby nephews: Stephen, Philip, Alan and Keith.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Berdella Lien, please visit our flower store.