Viola Elven

On April 5, 2016 her Lord and Shepard called her home.

She was preceded in death by her loving Husband, Ivan and sisters, Shirley Anderson and Dolores Kellerman.
Survived by her sons Steven (Sandra) and Gary, Grandchildren; Jesse, Justin, Kyle, Dustin, Jamie, Cody, and Chase, many Grandchildren, sisters; Connie Culbertson, Betty (Clarence) Schuh, Sharon (Joe) Farmer, Carol (Larry) Olson, many cousins, and dear friends.

Born June 7th, 1934, Echo was truly a child of the Great Depression. Born one of seven daughters, her father moved the family many, many times, all over the state in search of work to provide for his family before settling in the Twin Cities area. It is no wonder then that once the young wife and mother finally settled into their new home, that Echo drove her roots deep into the soil of New Brighton.

Echo was a faithful servant to her Lord, Jesus Christ. She always tried to live in his word, and showed great kindness to all. Echo became a member of Emmanuel Christian Center and sang in the choir.

One of her proudest achievements was returning to school and getting her diploma from the same high school her children had attended, Moundsview High. From there she went to St. Paul Vocational Technical Institute and graduated with a degree in Nutrition.
She worked at New Brighton Care Center for over 20 years retiring as the Kitchen Manager. The call of the kitchen was too strong, so she went back to work part-time as one of the "Lunch Ladies" at St. John's Catholic School. There she was a favorite among the young pupils and greatly enjoyed serving the children.

Echo loved to cook and was great at it, always ready to try new recipes. Her recipe box is a coveted treasure. She also loved to garden, her small garden produced troves of vegetables and her flowers produced blooms of such quantity and size they were amazing to view. Whatever she plopped into the ground flourished.

In her final years, Echo received loving care love from the Staff at Gracewood Manor Assisted Living in Hugo.

Echo was a kind, loving, happy person, who always had a ready smile waiting just for you. She will be sadly missed by all who knew and Loved Her.

Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers.