Black Earth

Emma Viola Urness, 98, died Tuesday morning 13 August 2002 at Ingleside Nursing Home in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin.

She was born 25 May 1904 to Albert and Tonetta (Anderson) Dybdahl in Vermont Township.  She was baptized at the Vermont Lutheran church, rural Black Earth 19 June 1904 and was confirmed there in the Lutheran faith 19 May 1918.  She received her elementary education at the Helland School, rural Black Earth and graduated from Black Earth high school in 1922.

On 24 June 1925 she was united in marriage to Nels Urness at the Dybdahl home.  They made their home at the Urness farm in Vermont Township until 1964 when they retired and moved to the village to Black Earth, where Nels died 8 December 1970.  Emma lived at her home in Black Earth until suffering a debilitating stroke in October 2001, and has since then been a resident at Ingleside in Mount Horeb.

Emma will long be remembered for a lifetime of generous and loving service to her family, church and community.  She was an active participant in many church and community organizations, as well as a dedicated member of the Sons of Norway.  She derived great pleasure form exercising her Norwegian heritage at Vermont Lutheran Church's annual lutefisk dinner as well as through her gracious hospitality in her home.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Nels, a grand daughter:  Christina Rae Urness, three brothers and three sisters.

She is survived by one son:  Norton (Virginia) Urness of Black Earth, and two daughters:  Anna Mae (Dean) Gesme of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Mary (Michael) Webber of Seldovia, Alaska.  Also surviving are eleven grandchildren:  Jon (Judy) Urness, Edith (Bob) Pondillo, Maria (Scott) Klemme, Melissa (Patrick) Sinner, Dean (Laura) Gesme, Jr., Karen (Kim) Brunssen, Martha (Peter) Nielsen, Scott (Mary Jo) Webber, Susan Webber, Kristen (Timothy) Leininger, and Steven Webber.  There are also twenty great grandchildren and one great, great grandson.  Three sisters survive:  Carrie Austinson of Whitewater, Wisconsin, Alice Olson and Evelyn (Otto) Festge both of Madison, Wisconsin.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, August 17, 2002 at Vermont Lutheran Church.  Burial will be at the church cemetery.  Friends may call from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, August 16, 2002 at the Ellestad Funeral Home, 500 N. 8th St., Mt. Horeb, WI.  Memorials preferred to the Vermont Lutheran Church Kitchen fund.

Blessed be her memory.