Theresa Marie “Tessie” Severson

Theresa Marie “Tessie” Severson, 86, a longtime resident of Scarville, passed away Thursday, June 20, 2024 in Jacksonville, Mo., while under hospice care. A memorial service for Tessie will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, July 7, at the Fertile Church of Christ, Fertile, with Reverend Ken Olson and Pastor Randy Baldwin officiating.Visitation will be from 2-4 p.m. at the church on Sunday. Inurnment will be in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, rural Scarville.
Theresa “Tessie” Marie Ross was born June 9, 1938 at home in Iowa Falls, Hardin County, Iowa, to parents William Edward and Lena (Sporaa) Ross. She was baptized March 22, 1953 at the First Methodist Church in Iowa Falls. Tessie graduated from Bricelyn High School in 1956, Bricelyn, Minn.
On Oct. 10, 1957, she was married to Jerry Wayne Severson at the Baptist Church in Bricelyn. They shared 52 years of marriage and were blessed with seven children: Curtis, Julie, Lyle, Monty, Faith, Alena and Sabrina. Not quite the dozen that Tessie always wanted, but a houseful just the same.
Tessie was a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She loved having a large family and kept track of them all, no matter how near or far they lived from her. She helped Jerry with milking cows while they lived in Scarville, and when they moved into Lake Mills in the 1970’s, she began work at Deluxe Products. Tessie worked at Deluxe/Fleetguard/Cummins retiring after 25 years of employment.
She loved reading anything and everything in print, her favorites being Louis L’Amour and Harlequin romance novels. She enjoyed fishing, snowmobiling, stock car races, and going north to the Severson homestead to visit Jerry’s extended family and friends.
After his passing in 2009, Tessie found a new family of friends from Scarville-watching Jeopardy, telling stories, playing Texas Hold’em, meat Bingo, and cheering for the Vikings, are all pastimes shared by many at the Scarville bar. Tessie was also a proud blood donor, receiving many gallon pins through her lifetime from both the Red Cross.
She is survived by her children: Curtis (Arlene) Severson, Denver, Colo.; Julie (Gregory) Rice, Lake Mills; Lyle (Beth) Severson, Macon, Mo.; Monty Severson, Hampton; Faith Larson, St. Louis, Mo.; Alena Bangs, Swaledale; and Sabrina Lium, Lake Mills; 11 grandchildren: Sage (Alexander) Sullivan, Kyle Severson, Nicholas (Brooke) Rice, Tyler (Lexie) Rice, Jade (Jeremy) Richardson, Adam (MaryEllen) Severson, Jonathan Severson, Brandy Severson, Tesse (Spencer) Shadley, Todd (Amanda) Wickham, and Trinity (Ken) Olson; and 19 great-grandchildren: Jeah, Remy, Gracie, Gillian, Addilynn, Jerry, Adrien, Kyra, Austin, Ethan, Riley, Jordyn, Langston “Miles”, Jordin, Payton, Gemma, Evelyn, Griffin, and Nadia; her brother Randall Gordon, Jacksonville, Mo.; a sister-in-law, Barbara (Henry) Pollock, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and two brothers-in-law: Marvin (Ruth) Severson, British Columbia, Canada; and David Severson, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; as well as many extended relatives and friends.
Tessie was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jerry. in 2009; granddaughter, Elizabeth Annmarie Wickham; grandson, Shannon “Cody” Wickham; a sister, Orrena Martin; three sisters-in-law: Bonnie (as an infant), Betty Severson and Elizabeth Severson; and two brothers-in-law: Ronald Severson and Robert Pollock.