The Funeral Service for Gay Horgen, 100 year old,
Albert Lea
resident, will be held
at 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at Bonnerup Funeral Service,
2210
East
Main
, Albert Lea.
The Reverend Tamara Dahlvang will officiate.
Interment
will be at
Lunder
Lutheran
Cemetery
.
Visitation will be one hour before the
service at the funeral home.
Gay
died on Friday, October 30, 2009 at ThorneCrest Retirement Community.
Gabriella Maria Irma Horgen was best known to all as “Gay”.
A good nickname, as she was always happy, gay, having a smile and kind word for everyone.
Gabriella (Gay) was born in Heusden, Belguim on September 11, 1909, the daughter
of
Victor and Elodie (Landuyt) Roggeman.
Gay was just about two when she came to
America
in July 1911.
She attended rural school near
Tracy
and
Walnut Grove
,
MN
.
On December 28, 1928, she married Henry Gerald Johnson.
They had nine children,
Kathryn, Ihlajean, Betty, Gerald, Lavonne, Carol, Diane, Robert, and Cynthia.
They divorced on March 26, 1964.
On June 19, 1967 she married Everett (Pete) Horgen.
She had lived in
Freeborn
County
since 1952.
Gay had several interesting jobs:
before coming to
Albert Lea
she worked alongside her husband Henry as a farm wife,
they owned theaters, a motel, a bar, and helped him with his various sales jobs.
They purchased the Rex Café when they came to Albert Lea.
Gay was also a waitress at the Skyline Restaurant, she clerked at J.C. Penney Co., and at Ben Franklin. She was also co-owner with her 2
nd
husband Pete of the Twin Lakes Grocery and Café. She enjoyed being
around and serving people.
Gay belonged to the
Lunder
Lutheran
Church
and the Ruth-Naomi Circle.
She was one of the founders in 1981 of the Twin Lakes Senior Citizens Club.
Gay enjoyed bingo, embroidering, playing cards, attending plays, and many events with the Twin Lake Senior Citizen Club (even though in later years she was not able to attend as many of their activities and finally had to leave this club at the age of 95.) She helped
serve the wonderful meals for the Semcac Dinners at
Senior
Towers
for thirteen years.
Most of all and number one to her was her family.
With a large family she was always had a lot to keep track of and enjoyed their company often.
Gay is survived by one son, Robert (Jolynn) Johnson of Albert Lea, MN, seven
daughters: Kathryn Burgener of
Mesa
,
AZ
, Ihlajean Barz of Garner, IA, Betty Tompkins
of Garner, IA, Lavonne (Jim) Swanson of
Minneapolis
,
MN
, Carol (Chuck) Smith of
Albert Lea
,
MN
, Diane (
Kent
) Dugstad of
Sun Lakes
,
AZ
, and Cindi (Dean) Kirkpatrick
of
Reeds Spring
,
MO.
Also surviving her are the stepfamily, Roger Horgen of DeKalb,
Il, James (Jane) Horgen of Bethany Beach, DE, Jerold (Grace) Horgen of
Henning
,
MN
,
Paul (Carol) Horgen of
Phoenix
,
AZ
, and Sandra Horgen of
Minneapolis
,
MN
.
Her extending family of 31 grandchildren, 66 Great-Grandchildren, 27 Great-Great
Grandchildren, and 15 Step Grandchildren, 5 step great-grandchildren. Numerous
cousins, nieces and nephews also survive her.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husbands, Henry and Everett, brothers:
Alfons, Maurice, Gustaf and Michael; Sisters: Clara,
Evone
,
Lorraine
, Elsie, son, Gerald Johnson, sons-in-law: Merlyn Burgener, Allen Barz and Dean Tompkins; granddaughter
Barb Tompkins, grandson, Daniel Barz and great-grandson Michael Dugstad.
Gay’s family and friends will miss her smile, jokes and her good outlook on life.
She has left us with so very many special memories.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to her
Lunder
Lutheran
Church
, or charity of the donor’s choice.
