Obituary of Florence M. Prigge

None Born Florence Shepard on March 22, 1926 in Blindlake, Minnesota to Jim and Minnie Shepard. She had four brothers and 3 sisters. She also had 2 brothers and 2 sisters who died at an early age or at birth. They, as most people in rural Minnesota, lived as farmers and hunters. Her father worked on road crews with his team of draft horses and was killed in a hunting accident when Florence was a teenager. She met George and they were married on 10 Oct 1943. They lived in Duluth, Minnesota where George worked as a welder in the ship yards. Their son, Al, was born in 1944 and after the war they moved to Pine River, Minnesota where George worked until he retired. Besides having three more sons; Jerry in 1945, Roger in 1952, and Dwight in 1957 she worked as a waitress, in a hardware store, as a Tupperware Manager, an in-home care worker, and a Co-op food manager and volunteered in a local hospital. Her most important job was being Protector and Allie to Dwight. They, with Dwight, moved to Yelm, Washington in the latter 1980's and returned to Grand Rapids, Minnesota in the early 1990's. George passed on in 1995 and Florence and Dwight returned to Yelm in 2001. Son Jerry was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2003 and a part of her heart left with him. It was a trying time for her. She loved doing crafts with George. They created yard hangers, wind chimes, and both were delighted in the Christmas lighted balls they made. She also created beautiful bed dolls which she sold and gave to special loved ones. One of her passions was camping and fishing with George and Dwight. She also enjoyed gardening. When Dot & Al were younger they would “double date” with George and Florence and Dot’s father(Earl and Edith). A Memorial Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Sunday, October 23, 2005 at Emanuel Lutheran Church, 206 3rd Street SE, Yelm.