Mary Rood

Mary L. Rood, age 74, of Murdock, died Saturday evening, Dec. 8, at the Gabriel House in Murdock following a long battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, at Hope Lutheran Church in Sunburg.  Interment will be at Monson Lake Lutheran Cemetery.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.  Arrangements are with the Peterson Brothers Sunburg Funeral Home.  www.petersonbrothers.com

Mary Louise Rood was born March 4, 1944, in Richmond, Minnesota, the daughter of Orwald and Phyllis (Schempf) Meyer.  She grew up in the Eden Valley area and graduated from Eden Valley High School in 1962.  She then attended St. Cloud State and graduated with a teaching degree in Physical Education.  She taught in Aitkin and Benson, MN.  On December 21, 1968, she married Elmo Rood at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Eden Valley.  They lived and farmed in Kerkhoven Township near Monson  Lake.  Mary worked in advertising sales for the West Central Tribune, the local radio station and later for Backstreet Media.

Mary was a long time member of Monson Lake Lutheran Church.  She was active in the Ladies Aide, Sunday School, Church Council as well as decorating, and assisting in maintaining the building.  For many years she played the piano and organ at the Monson Lake Church and later, also at the Sunburg Free Lutheran Church.  Her other volunteer activities included playing the keyboard at the Clara City Care Center, and being a member of the Monson Lake State Park Improvement Association where she assisted in getting electricity brought into some of the camping sites.  Her other interests included maintaining the appearance of the farm and participating in the Syttende Mai parade with her John Deere tractor.

Mary is survived by a brother: Jerry (and Iona) Meyer of Palisade; her mother: Phyllis Holtz of Sunburg; brothers-in-law: Demoine Rood of Sunburg, Leslie (and Kathy) Rood of Brooten; sister-in-laws: Hazel Thonvold of Sunburg, Donna King (and special friend, Don Stuhr) of Blomkest, Linda (and Harlan) Peters of Appleton and Jenny Jacobson of Willmar; her cousins: Phillip (and Janet) Schempf of Juneau, AK, Bradley Schempf of Ft. Collins, CO and Steven Schempf of Elk River;  besides other relatives and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her father, Orwald Meyer: her husband: Elmo in 2010; her uncle: Jerome Schempf, her aunt: Eunice Schempf and a brother-in-law: Glenn Rood.