Service Information
Margaret J. Grorud, age 91, of Hutchinson, Minnesota, died on Friday, May 31, 2019, at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota.
Funeral Services will be held on Monday, June 10, 2019, at 11:00 A.M. at Faith Lutheran Church in Hutchinson with interment in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at Faith Lutheran Church.
Obituary
Margaret June (Waage) Grorud was born on May 23, 1928, in Noonan, ND. She was the youngest child of Rev. Knud Olav and Gunda Waage. She was baptized into the Christian faith by her father at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Noonan on July 1, 1928, and confirmed her faith there on June 7, 1942.
Margaret received her education in Noonan, graduating from Noonan High School in 1945. She then attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, earning her Bachelor’s degree in 1949. She taught high school English in Thief River Falls, MN, and Alexandria, MN. In 1951, she met Orville Grorud, a student from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, who was helping out her father in Noonan during the summer. They were married on June 1, 1953, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Noonan by her father. They shared over 42 years of marriage before Orville died on March 30, 1996. Their union was blessed with four children, Kristin Margaret, Kathryn Anne, Alison Jean and Scott Michael.
Margaret was a faithful partner in ministry with Orville, and together they served parishes in Velva, ND, Columbia Falls, MT, Conrad, MT, Sandpoint, ID and Great Falls, MT. She played the organ, directed church choirs, was active in women’s ministry and attended countless Bible studies. Her knowledge of the Bible and Lutheran theology was extensive. She and Orville loved to play Scrabble (recording their highest scores inside the game-box cover), card games, and simply spending time together.
In 2007, Margaret moved to Hutchinson, MN, where she resided for all but the last three months of her life. She was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, where she was warmly welcomed and found a home in a variety of Bible study groups. Her driving passions in life were her Christian faith, as it was expressed and nurtured in the Lutheran Church, and her family, for every member of which she prayed by name every day. She loved classical music, reading, and caring for her family. She took immense pride in having eleven Lutheran pastors over five generations among her family members.
Margaret is survived by her children: Kristin Walker and her husband Thomas, of Sioux Falls, SD; Kathryn Gemar and her husband, Gary, of Coeur d’Alene, ID; Alison Torgersen and her husband, Jack, of Cokato, MN; and Scott Grorud and his wife, Shelly, of Hutchinson. Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren: Ryan Walker, his wife Lauren and their children, Meredith and Joel, of Seoul, South Korea; Karen Seifert, her husband Michael and their children, Thomas, Sean and baby Bennett (due in August, 2019), of Portland, ND; and Nathan Walker, his wife Megan and their children, Adam and Anna, of Seoul, South Korea; Kjersti Braunstein, her husband Jeff and their children, Frida, Oscar and Arlo; Seth Gemar and his wife, Alexis Zoulas, and Kaitlin Gemar, all of Seattle, WA; Lars Torgersen of Sioux Falls, SD, Julia Torgersen of Ames, IA, and Leif Torgersen of Cokato; Kirsten Grorud of Alexandria, VA, and Andrew Grorud of Chicago, IL. Margaret looked forward to gaining two “new” grandchildren this year when Andrew marries Kathryn Brightly in July and Kirsten marries Jared Noetzel in October. She is also survived by a sister, Ruth Anne Polk of Lawrence, KS, and a sister-in-law, Muriel Waage of Shakopee, MN; and other relatives and friends.
Margaret is preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Orville Grorud; her parents, Rev. K.O. and Gunda Waage, her brother, Wesley Waage, and brother-in-law, Les Polk.
Deb Johnson says
Margaret was a super sweet lady! Enjoyed visiting with her when she lived at Ecumen Pines. Thoughts and prayers to the family.
lynette m rosenau says
To Margaret’s family , I am so sorry to hear this news . I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret at the short stay facility in Glencoe , Minnesota in February . I was recovering from heart surgery , and her room was across the hall from me . We sat at the same table for all of our meals , and talked a lot about family and our ailments , and our future plans . She was a delightful woman to share my story with , and she was so excited to move to North Dakota by her granddaughter , and await the arrival of another great-grandchild . We said goodbye to each other , hugged , and wished each other well as we left the Glencoe facility . She was a woman of faith , and talked often about the religious people in her family . I was surprised when she told me her age , she did not seem that old at all . She was so fun to talk with every day , and I knew I would miss her , but we both needed to move on . God Bless all of you as you celebrate her life .
lynette m rosenau says
To Margaret’s family , I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret at Glenfields short stay in Glencoe in February . I was recovering from heart surgery , and she was in the room directly across the hall from me . We sat at the same table for all of our meals . We shared a lot of conversation about family , our health issues , our food likes and dislikes , and just life in general . She was a woman of faith , and was so proud of all the religious people in her family . She was so excited about going to live with her granddaughter and family , and was also looking forward to the new great-grandchild . We said goodbye , hugged , and each went our separate ways in March . I was so sorry to hear of her passing , she was a great lady to know . God Bless her memory , and all of you her family . My deepest sympathy .