Elvie M. Rondestvedt

Elvie MaryAnn Rondestvedt, age 86 was born in Litchfield on April 2, 1932 and passed away on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at Our Lady of Peace Hospice in St. Paul. A memorial service will be held at 4 pm Saturday, October 6, 2018 at First Lutheran Church in Litchfield. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Ripley Cemetery. Elvie was the daughter of LeRoy and Ethel Swanson. She grew up in Litchfield, where her aunt Lillie Swanson and stepmother Bertha Speidel Swanson helped raise her and her brothers, Eldon and Anthony. She was confirmed at First Lutheran Church on June 9, 1946, and graduated from Litchfield High School in 1950. After graduating, she worked at Dr. Lowell Wilson’s chiropractic office, earning tuition money to attend college in St. Cloud, where she received her teaching license. Elvie loved to sing, and sang many solos at weddings and funerals. She sang in choral groups and in the First Lutheran Church Choir. It was there that she met her husband, Russell Arthur Rondestvedt, whom she married in 1958. They made their home in Litchfield, just a half block from both of their parents’ homes, where they raised their daughter, Laurie. Elvie’s passion was teaching first and third grade at Wagner, Longfellow and Lake Ripley schools. In 33 years of teaching, she never missed a day. After retirement, she helped care for her two granddaughters in the Twin Cities, teaching them to read before they began kindergarten. She loved being a part of her granddaughters’ lives, family gatherings, holidays, camping, trips, and adventures. Elvie was incredibly loving, caring, joyful, supportive, and generous. The foundation of her entire life was her Christian faith. Her family will miss her so much. She is survived by her daughter Laurie (Scott Sahli) of Savage; granddaughters Anna of St. Paul and Christina of New York City; and brother Eldon Swanson of Cokato. Elvie was preceded in death by her husband Russell Rondestvedt; her parents LeRoy and Ethel Swanson; her stepmother Bertha Swanson; and her brother Anthony Swanson.