M. Gunness

M. Ione Gunness, 89, formerly of Abercrombie, ND and Fargo, ND, passed away peacefully in the Good Samaritan Center, Arthur, ND, on Saturday, September 22, 2012. The Funeral Service will be Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Abercrombie, ND with Rev. Ken Kirchenwitz officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday, from 5 PM to 7 PM at Willow Creek Chapel (920 3rd Ave. N.) Wahpeton and one hour before the service at the church on Wednesday. Interment will be at Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Abercrombie. Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, Wahpeton is in charge of arrangements.

Ione was born to Ralph and Laura (Larson) Adams on July 12, 1923, in Barney, ND. She attended rural grade school and high school in Abercrombie. To close friends and family, Ione was known as "Tonny", a nickname bestowed by her older brother Robert. On December 19, 1942, Ione married John A. Gunness at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Abercrombie. They farmed and lived on various farmsteads until moving to Abercrombie in 1952. Ione assisted John with the Standard Oil Bulk agency from 1963 until his death in 1971. They were devoted, active members of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, and Ione served as custodian of the church for many years. John and Ione purchased property on Crane Lake in Minnesota in 1967. Summer weekends were spent "at the lake" for almost forty years. Ione moved to Fargo in 1972 and worked at Moorhead Drug for close to thirty years, retiring in 2001. While in Fargo, she and Lesley attended Olivet Lutheran Church. She resided at the Good Samaritan Center in Arthur since February 2011.

Ione was an accomplished pianist and organist playing popular songs "by ear". She played for countless events at church and in the community. As a skilled seamstress, she sewed everything from dresses to formals to coats. She loved watching baseball and was an avid Cubs fan.

Ione will be remembered as a loving mother, devoted to her daughters and their families. Friends and relatives will think of her fondly and remember her ready smile, quick wit, and joy for life. Her grandchildren will fondly recall their visits to Crane Lake and her thoughtfulness in baking their favorite treats. Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, or friend –Ione was a woman of faith, humor and strength.

Ione is survived by her daughters Diane (Richard) Nelson of Grand Forks; Joan Ahonen of Casselton; Lesley Kay Gunness of Arthur; five grandchildren Paul Ahonen, Susanne (Chris) Lauer, Joseph Ahonen, Matthew (Sarah) Nelson, and John (Jill) Nelson; six great-grandchildren Micah Jo Erdmann, Liam, Madelynn and Charles Nelson, and Miabella and Juliet Nelson; three sisters Norma Schillerstrom of Thousand Oaks, CA, Eva Johnson of Grants Pass, OR, and Beverly Score of Concord, CA; two sisters-in-law Ramona Adams of Escondido, CA, and Glenda Adams of Abercrombie; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband John, son James Brian, brothers Robert Adams and Jerome Adams, sister Lollie King, and brothers-in-law William King, Stanley Schillerstrom and Dustin Johnson.

The family gives special thanks to the staff at the Good Samaritan Center in Arthur and Hospice of the Red River Valley for their loving care.