Melvina Lorraine Aaberg of Mankato died in a car accident near the town of Nicollet on Monday August 22, 2011, just two days after her 85th birthday. The funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, August 27th at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Mankato, with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. The burial service will follow at the Scarville Synod Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. There will also be a visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, August 26th, at North Mankato Mortuary-Northview, 2060 Commerce Drive, North Mankato. Melvina was born on August 20th, 1926, on her parent’s farm near the town of Garvin, Minnesota. She was the youngest of 5 children born to Edward and Jennie Olson. Melvina’s father died when she was only 16 months old, and her mother passed away shortly thereafter, when Melvina was just 4 years old. Following the death of her parents, Melvina was raised by her Uncle Olaf and Aunt Marie, while her 4 brothers, Gerhard, Orlando, Marvin and Leonard continued to live at the family farm. Melvina graduated from Bethany Lutheran College in 1947, and went on to teach at Norseland Christian Day School and later at Mt. Olive Lutheran School. She married Rev. Theodore A. Aaberg in 1951 and they had 5 children, Ted, Sarah, Marie, Jonathan and Joel. Her husband, Theodore, passed away in 1980. Despite the hardship of being widowed at a relatively young age, Melvina managed to purchase a home which served as the family gathering place for many Christmases and other happy occasions, not only for her children, but also her 4 beloved granddaughters, Jennie, Shawna, Abby and Clair. Melvina worked as a secretary at Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary for 28 years, and then at the Bethany Archives until her death. She cherished the many friends she made among the students, faculty and staff during her time there. Her many interests included, writing her memoirs, traveling, baking, listening to music, and keeping up with friends and family. Melvina had a strong faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, and an amazing ability to not only weather the adversity in her life but to grow stronger from it. She was a kind and caring soul who enjoyed spending time with her many friends and family and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Melvina was preceded in death by her husband, Theodore; her brothers, Gerhard, Orlando, Marvin, and Leonard; and her infant grandson, Ronald William Mehlberg Jr.

Published on August 24, 2011