Mary E. Larson

December 20, 1933 – January 24, 2025

 Mary Ellen (Stensland) Larson was born in Drayton, ND on December 20, 1933, youngest of 8 children to Anna (Berg) Stensland and Rev. Osmund Stensland.

 Mary was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith by her father and attended country school through 8th grade in Kittson County, Minnesota. The Stensland family moved to southern Minnesota in 1948. Mary graduated from Kasson High School in 1950 with her sister, Anna Margaret. She attended Waldorf College in Forest City Iowa and obtained an elementary teacher’s certificate in 1953. Mary taught 4th grade at Buffalo Center, Iowa 1953-1955.

 On September 24, 1955, Mary married Eldon Hundertmark of Ottosen, Iowa. Eldon died three months later of a brain tumor. Mary continued to live on the family farm with her mother-in-law, Dorothy Hundertmark, until after the birth of her son, Brian Hundertmark. Mary and Brian moved back to Minnesota to live with her parents. Later, she bought a home in Rochester, Minnesota. 

 In 1958, a former boyfriend, Elmer Larson found her when he went to visit his mother at the Mayo clinic. Mary and Elmer were married on August 16, 1958. They lived in Minneapolis where their son Joel was born in 1959.

 The Larson family moved to Genoa, Colorado in July 1959 where they went into business with Elmer’s parents, Jay and Edna Larson. Four children were born while they lived in Genoa. Marlys in 1960, Jeff in 1963, Sally in 1966 and Karl in 1969. They lived in Genoa for 32 years and all of the children graduated from Genoa High School. Mary and Elmer were active in the community and the church. 

 After all the children were gone from the home, Mary and Elmer moved to Hugo and lived there for seven years. When Elmer retired from his insurance agency after 37 years, in 1997 Mary and Elmer moved to Arizona where they spent their winters. Summers were spent on the Lake of the Woods in Sioux Narrows, Ontario, Canada at fishing resort owned by Elmer’s brother Neal. They enjoyed this lifestyle change until 2001, when Elmer passed, also on January 24. 

 Mary carried on in Arizona in their condo in Surprise for five years. When the good friends she had met there started to move back to their families, Mary decided it was time to be closer to hers. She returned to eastern Colorado in 2006, deciding to live in Limon. She picked up where she left off with many of her dear friends and also made new ones as she joined in card clubs and became a member at Zion Lutheran Church in Limon.

 The story told so far is as she told it herself in a note left for her children. While it has all the details that were always important to her, it does not convey the warm, loving mother, daughter, wife, sister and friend that she was. It also does not show her sharp wit or her strong faith.

 While 91 years is a long life, it was not enough for those that love her and will miss her dearly.

 Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, Rev. Osmund and Anna Stensland, her brothers, John, Osmund and Norman Stensland, her sisters, Trudy Hollander, Alice Stensland, Anna Margaret Thompson and Ruth Stevens, her loving husbands, Eldon Hundertmark and Elmer Jay Larson and her beloved son, Joel Larson. She is survived by her children, Brian Hundertmark (Beverly), Marlys Kossman (Tim), Jeff Larson (Carol), Sally Kressin (Brian) and Karl Larson and her grandchildren, Ellen Gobbo (Blake), Bryson Liles, Lauren Stanton (Brandon), Ryan Larson (Kayla), Kellyn Larson, Tristyn Larson (Jordan), Alexander Kressin and Ean Kressin, and her most precious great-grandchildren, Ella Gobbo, Mia Gobbo, Sam Stanton, Dylan Stanton and Courtland Larson, as well as many in-laws, nieces and nephews.