Audrey Hemmingsen
Audrey Hemmingsen, age 88, of Erskine, MN, passed away on Sunday, July 19th, at McIntosh Senior Living in McIntosh. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 3rd, at Grace Lutheran Church in Erskine with the Rev. Pam Thorson officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service on Sunday, August 2nd, at the Carlin Funeral Home in Erskine. Family will also greet friends for one hour prior to the service on Monday at the church. Arrangements are with Carlin Family Funeral Service of Erskine and messages of condolence may be made at www.carlinfuneral.com.
Audrey Fern Nelson was born on June 3, 1938, in Audubon, Minnesota to parents Herbert “Jack” and Florence (Enget) Nelson. She moved to Erskine with her family in 1942 and graduated from Erskine High School in 1956. She worked at Sandy’s Drive-In and The Ness Café and for a short time at Garden Valley, all in Erskine.
Audrey later moved to Minneapolis and worked for Rainbow Sales (Tupperware) for several years. She eventually returned home and worked for Franklin Vikan at the 13 Towns newspaper in Fosston. She moved to Fargo and began working for Northern States Power. It was during this time that she met her future husband, Delmont Hemmingsen.
Audrey was united in marriage to Delmont Robert Hemmingsen on November 5, 1966, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. After their marriage, they lived in Moorhead, Minnesota. They purchased a farm south of Erskine in 1967. Del, Jr was born in 1968, and they moved to the farm in 1971. For the next many years, Audrey helped Del with his aerial crop spraying business doing “flagging” and bookwork and clerking for Del’s auction business. She had also been the church secretary under Pastor Everson in the 1970’s. She worked for Robert Hole at the Erskine Echo for many years. Then, after her cancer diagnosis in 2012, she retired from The Echo. After her cancer went into remission, she started work at Moran’s in Winger where she worked for the next six years. Del, Sr. passed away on July 17, 2019. She continued to live on the farm until December of 2024 when she moved to McIntosh Senior Living due to declining health.
Audrey was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church in ladies aid and circle groups. She also volunteered throughout her life. She especially enjoyed singing for numerous funerals and other events and helped with resident sing-a-longs at the Pioneer Memorial Care Center for many years.
Survivors include her son, Del, Jr. of Erskine; three siblings, Ron (Beverly) Nelson of Erskine, Helen Bertsch of Erskine and John (JoAnne) Nelson of Waubun, MN; stepchildren, Dennis (Jan) Hemmingsen of Fosston, Ardella (Jerry) McGee of Trimont, MN, Roger (Bonnie) Hemmingsen of Fosston, and Sheryl (Tom) Vedbraaten of Crookston, MN. Numerous nieces, nephews and cousins also survive.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Del, Sr.; her parents; stepson, Allen (Linda) Hemmingsen; step grandsons, Paul Hemmingsen and Troy Vedbraaten; and brother-in-law, Ben Bertsch.
Honorary Pallbearers at the service will be Al Bauer, Joe Sandberg, Robert Hole, and Dan Larson.