Arlys Annetta Weaver

Arlys Weaver died peacefully on December 8, 2020 at Neilson Place in Bemidji, where she enjoyed the last years of a life well-lived. She was born February 26, 1920, in Cando, North Dakota. Her father, Oscar Swenson, emigrated from Norway at age 4 with his family on a steamship to Ellis Island. The Swensons homesteaded near Saint John, ND. Her mother, Ella Bowen, was born in a covered wagon coming up from Iowa to Minnesota, and met Oscar in the farm country of North Dakota, where they worked just after WW1. Oscar and Ella moved to Minnesota, where they farmed on the Ponsford Prairie northwest of Park Rapids. Arlys met her husband, Harold Weaver, when he came to the Swenson farm with a threshing crew. Arlys and Harold married in 1940 and owned a dairy farm near Park Rapids. Arlys was a fine homemaker, but once her children were old enough , she worked at the Hubbard County Courthouse, the medical clinic, and the local gas company until her retirement. She enjoyed her pets, gardening, photography, reading, and travel. Her Christian faith was a key part of her life, which she lived by good works. An expert seamstress, she darned and mended for anyone in need. She fed many a drop-in visitor, who were welcome any time. She was a true example of "Want a friend? Be a friend." Harold died in 1998, and in 2010 Arlys moved to Bemidji to be closer to family. She lived at Tamarack Court and Neilson Place, where she was a favorite of the care-givers, especially the young nurses, who enjoyed her counsel. In later life she enjoyed reading on her Kindle and using her iPad. A daily card and letter writer, the USPS will miss her, as do we all. Arlys’s family is grateful to all those who lovingly cared for and supported her in the last decade of her life. She is survived by her three children, Connie (Steve Erwin) of San Jose, CA; Judy (Herb) Kirby, Reno, NV; and Will (Rose) Weaver of Bemidji. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren live in Georgia, California, Nevada, Idaho, and Norway. Because of Covid concerns, there will be a private service with Jones Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids, December 14. "May The Circle Be Unbroken."