Elroy Syverson

Elroy L. Syverson, age 82, of Willmar and formerly of Rapid City, SD., died Friday morning, Aug. 23, at Bethesda Grand in Willmar.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Willmar. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 26, at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home and will continue for one hour prior to the service at the church. A private interment will be at a later date at the Minnesota State Veteran's Cemetery in Little Falls.

Elroy Luvern Syverson was born on December 14, 1936, in Morris, Minnesota, the son of Otto and Emma (Boje) Syverson.  He grew up in Morris and graduated from Morris High School in 1956.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served aboard the USS Mansfield in the Pacific.  Following his honorable discharge in 1960, Elroy attended cosmetology school and was employed his entire career (almost 40 years) as a hairdresser at Ritter's Beauty Salon in Roseville, retiring on December 31, 1999.

Elroy met Frances Lee Landers in the fall of 1966 on a blind date to an old time dance.  One of the first things he said to her was, “Well, let’s see if this is going to work.”  He was an excellent dancer and she also loved dancing, so they hit it off on the first date.  They were married on January 10, 1968, in Las Vegas, and they made their home in Columbia Heights.  In 2003, they moved to Rapid City, South Dakota.  They loved living in the Black Hills and were really foot loose and fancy free while living in “God’s Country”, as Elroy called it. In 2017, Elroy’s health began to decline with signs of dementia and cancer.  In March of 2019, they moved to Willmar, Minnesota.

Elroy was an avid golfer and reader, often having three books going at once.  He also enjoyed biking and running marathons across Minnesota.  He was also an avid sports fan of the Minnesota Gophers Men's Hockey and Basketball Teams as well as the Minnesota Vikings.  Their nieces and nephews spent many weekends with them, taking in a game or two.  Since Elroy and Frances had no children, they spent much time traveling, with California, Nevada, Texas, Boston, Ireland, Italy and Germany being a few of their many destinations.

He is survived by his loving wife, Frances of Willmar, MN; two brothers, Marvin (and Dianne) Syverson of Turner, OR, and Myron (and Marilyn) Syverson of Morris, MN; two brothers-in-law, William Landers of St. Paul, MN, and John (and Beverly) Landers of Circle Pines, MN; a sister-in-law, Mary (and Dale) Gratz of Atwater, MN; and numerous nieces and nephews, besides other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Lester and Lyle; and two sisters, Lois Keil and Aloris Kolp; sisters-in-law, Chleo Syverson, Cecilia Christopherson and Lucy Williamson; and a brother-in-law, Daniel Landers.