Her hand held tenderly by her husband of nearly 67 years, Alice Phoebe Muus, 90, passed away peacefully Sunday, July 12, 2015, at the Cook County North Shore Care Center in Grand Marais.
Alice was born May 11, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, to Rudolph Ernest and Signe (Bergstrom) Rosain.
Music was a big part of Alice’s life. She took piano lessons and as a teenager took voice lessons at a conservatory in downtown Chicago, sang in her church choir and also in the choir at Chicago Christian High School, where she graduated in 1943. Alice furthered her education at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, graduating in 1947 with a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance. She met her future husband, Bernt Julius (B.J.) Muus in the St. Olaf Choir, and the two were wed on August 28, 1948.
Alice’s greatest desire was to be a homemaker, and in a matter of nine years the house was filled with six children. After living in Chisholm, Minnesota, for two years, the family moved to Ottawa, Illinois, where B.J. was a music teacher for 26 years until he retired in 1978 and moved with Alice and family members to Grand Marais.
Raised in a Christian home, Alice had a strong faith, a faith she lived out in her daily life and which she passed on to her children. She was an active member of the churches to which she belonged: Foster Park Baptist Church in Chicago, Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottawa, and Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais. In Grand Marais she sang in the church choir, the community choir, and with the Muus Family Singers, her special delight.
Alice kept everyone well fed with her wonderful cooking and baking, and she was generous in her mission outreach, thinking of others before herself. A smile graced her face, and she was quick to say thank you for any kindness and care given her.
Alice was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Ernie Rosain; and her sister and brother in-law, Janet and Bill Penn.
She is survived by her husband B.J.; her children, Paul (Bonnie) Muus, Janet (Jim) Ringquist, John (Cindy) Muus, all of Grand Marais; James (Therese) Muus of Siren, Wisconsin; Beverly (Robert) Palmer of Lakeville, Minnesota; and Phyllis (Dave) Oldenburg of Prior Lake, Minnesota; 15 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and sisterin law Harriet Rosain of Downers Grove, Illinois.
A memorial service will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais on Thursday, August 6, at 2 p.m. Memorials may be directed to a charity of one’s choice.
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