Hazel Ostenson

Hazel Eleanor (Johnson) Ostenson was born April 5, 1925 to Hulda (Thornberg) and Andrew G.

Johnson in Lund Township, Douglas County. She passed away peacefully at the Evansville

Care Center on December 4, 2017 at 92 after a long and full life.

She was baptized and confirmed at Erdahl Lutheran Church and was a lifelong member until its

closing in 2005. She met her husband, Walter P. Ostenson, at a dance at the Barrett Pavilion

and they were married March 30, 1946. They raised their six children while living on the farm,

first west of Elbow Lake and then in Erdahl Township. She was active in the Erdahl Ladies Aid

and participated in the fall meatball and scalloped potatoes suppers for many years. She joined

Peace Lutheran Church in Ashby and was a faithful member.

Hazel was a homemaker and farmer’s wife; she helped out in the barn, took lunches out to the

field, and enjoyed gardening, canning, cooking, and baking. She found time for quilting, crafting,

and collected cookbooks. She also baked and decorated most of the family’s birthday cakes

while the grandchildren were growing up. Her love of family and friends showed in her

entertaining with card and birthday parties, great food, and wonderful desserts. She passed on

the lefse tradition with annual lefse days, overseeing the process while offering tips and

suggestions for all the novices.

She fondly remembered the trip that she and Walter took to Norway with their son Roger, and

their bus trip to Washington D.C. Walter and Hazel enjoyed family celebrations, dances, time

with friends and family both in their home and at Lake Ina with the Johnson/Zickur family.

She is survived by her sister Gloria (Johnson) Zickur, her children Roger (Carmela) Ostenson,

Phoenix, Arizona, Curt (Betsy) Ostenson, Elbow Lake, Robert Ostenson, Elbow Lake, and

Jeffrey (Patsy) Ostenson, Ashby, her son-in-law Flo Kinzel, and her grandchildren, Jessica (Jim)

Krupicka, Ryan Ostenson, Marcus (Mercedes) Ostenson, Craig (Rose) Ostenson, Emily

Ostenson, Alex (Caileen) Ostenson, and Kyle (Abby) Ostenson, her great grandchildren,Tyler

Krupicka, Leif and Finnegan Ostenson, Bella Ostenson, and many nieces, nephews, and

extended family.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Walter (2012), her parents, her brothers, Glen and

Vernon Johnson, infant daughter Carol Jean, her daughter, Michele (Ostenson) Kinzel, and her

son, Steven Ostenson.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you give to your favorite charity, or the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Visitation: 4:00 - 7:00 PM Friday, January 12, 2018 at the Erickson-Smith Funeral Home of Elbow Lake and resuming one hour prior to the service at the church

Memorial Service: 11:00AM Saturday, January 13, 2018 at Peace Lutheran Church of Ashby

Clergy: Reverend Carol Olson

Burial: West Elbow Lake Lutheran Cemetery

Online Condolences: EricksonSmithFH.com