On June 8, 2019, our family, our community, lost an integral member. Whether locally, by her nearest neighbors and relatives, or by the larger human family, her loss will be acutely felt, and her loving memory will linger in many hearts and minds.
Thelma was born, on July 16, 1928, in Kalispel, Montana to Olai Berge and Williamina Laing Berge, Norwegian and Scottish immigrants respectively. Her brother Bill was born three years later. The family moved several times, from one northern Montana town to another, shifting locations in accordance with Olai’s service as a Border Patrol and Customs and Immigration official. Along the way, Thelma formed many friendships that would last a lifetime. Upon graduation as valedictorian from Hingham High School (in a class of two pupils—as Thelma was quick to point out) she attended Montana State University (now the University of Montana) in Missoula.
In 1947 her parents moved to Grand Marais, Minnesota where Olai had accepted a post at the Pigeon River. Upon visiting her folks in Grand Marais, Thelma determined to leave college in Montana and attend business school in Duluth. Employed throughout her life, she began work at Kelly Howe Thompson in Duluth, and was subsequently employed for a year in the superintendent’s office of the Grand Marais High School. Prior to that, on one of her early visits to her parents’ adopted home, Evelyn Wallstrom Hedstrom, a next-door neighbor to Olai and “Mina,” introduced her to Wesley Hedstrom—billing him as a singer in the Congregational Church choir. Thelma and Wesley were married in June 1950 and settled on Maple Hill in close proximity to Wesley’s extended family.
Her three children, Linda, Jeanne and Bob came along during the ’50s and were routinely shuttled off to any and every cultural outlet available . . . beginning with daily piano lessons offered across the road with “Sophie” Hedstrom. The kids’ enrollment in band, Laura Grant’s Dancing School, and the Art Colony soon followed. Thelma rounded out this cultural education (and escape hatch for herself personally) with roadshow tickets to Broadway musicals in Duluth and Minneapolis.
In the early ’60s Thelma began working in the accounting department of Hedstrom Lumber Company and remained in a bookkeeping position there until her retirement.
Throughout her own life, Thelma was tirelessly immersed in the life of her community. She was active in the Grand Marais Playhouse—her greatest passion; the Hospital Auxiliary, the Lioness Club, the First Congregational Church—on numerous committees; the Cub Scouts—as den mother with her friend Betty Backlund; AFS, the Historical Society, and curling. She served on the boards of Cook County Social Services (then the Welfare Board), the Grand Marais Playhouse, and the North Shore Clinic during its inception. She volunteered at the Historical Society Museum, and worked alongside Eleanor Waha collecting money for various causes whenever possible. She volunteered as a reading aide to fourth-graders. And Thelma and Wes were foster parents and served as surrogate AFS hosts. She was also an avid bridge player, and had a lifelong affection for dogs— her own and those of her extended family. The list may seem exhausting, but Thelma was inexhaustible.
Beginning in her early years with Wes, it was she who planned the numerous family excursions— from camping outings to Easter vacation road trips. And after the kids were out of the home, she and Wes travelled the world together.
Early on, Thelma had designed and, together with Wes (and Harold Moe), built their home on Maple Hill. In 1980 she designed a second family home on the site of the family cabin on Devil’s Track Lake. Following Wes’s death in 2003, a new institution was formed at Thelma’s instigation: a morning walk with her neighbors, who gathered daily—a devoted extended family consisting of friends, family and dogs. She enjoyed entertaining this group for Downton Abbey and popcorn parties, and a 65th birthday event was given for her popcorn popper.
In June of 2017 Thelma was diagnosed with a progressive illness, which left her, to a large degree, bedridden. She declined treatment except for what was available to her at the local clinic.
She was preceded in death by her parents; by her husband, Wes; a decade later, by her brother Bill; and most recently by her son-in-law, Edward Finnegan, whose death followed on the heels of the catastrophic house fire that destroyed her beloved Devil’s Track Lake home on October 14. In addition to her unstinting commitment to her community, throughout her adult life she shared the role, with her Hedstrom sisters-in-law, of “Auntie” to dozens of Hedstrom cousins. She was the last survivor of her (2nd) generation of Hedstroms.
She is survived by her children and their families: Linda Hedstrom Noble and her husband Stephen Noble, Jeanne Hedstrom, and Bob Hedstrom and his wife Mary Sanderlin. Grandchildren: Andrew Noble and his wife Autumn, Heather Noble and husband Larry Abels; Olivia Huber Hedstrom and her husband Michael; and Leon Hedstrom. Great-grandchildren: Andrew and Autumn’s boys Logan and Lucas, and Heather and Larry’s recent baby daughter, Laine.
Thelma’s generous spirit never flagged. Nor did she lose her quick wit, her sense of humor remaining sharp throughout her final illness. She used these tools not to mask thorny issues, but rather as an entry point from which to embrace what was inevitable. Though her last month saw a rapid decline in her strength, she still managed to engage in cocktail hour (most of the time). And when it came time during her final days to enter the local hospital, she took great pleasure in the care and attention afforded her, and expressed immense gratitude for it. Life remained an adventure till the end—and perhaps even past that “end.”
A memorial service will take place at the First Congregational Church on Saturday, June 27 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the Grand Marais Playhouse, the First Congregational Church, and the North Shore Healthcare Foundation.
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