Brenda Nelson Wassberg

View Brenda Wassberg's Memorial Service Livestream Here: https://vimeo.com/708737663

Brenda Lei Nelson Wassberg was born August 8, 1957 in Jamestown, North Dakota, to parents Ruby (Dalbol) and Gaylord Nelson. On Saturday, March 12, 2022, she died unexpectedly while visiting cousins in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is survived by her husband Stephen Wassberg, daughters Sarah (Chad) Wassberg Johnson, and Rachel (Sam) Frisell, parents Ruby and Gaylord Nelson, siblings Joe (Phyllis) Nelson, Galon (Judi) Nelson, and Kara (Dan) Feist, and many nieces and nephews.

Brenda studied biology education at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN (class of 1979). She was very passionate about the natural world and could identify nearly any plant or animal she saw. She met her husband Steve at the wedding of mutual friends. They were married at Elim Lutheran Church in Fargo on September 3, 1983. Steve’s father Rev. Leslie Wassberg officiated. Brenda and Steve opened Dalbol Flowers in 1984. Daughter Sarah arrived in 1985 and Rachel in 1990.

Brenda was very involved in community organizations, serving as a troop leader and council board member of Girl Scouts, especially when Sarah and Rachel were young. She also served as a member and sometimes board member of the Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival, Swedish Cultural Heritage Society of the Red River Valley, Daughters of Norway, and Sons of Norway. In recent years Brenda was especially active at the Sons of Norway, taking Norwegian language classes since 2002, serving on the Club board, participating in the Kringen Kor choir group, the ukulele club, and assisting with the library. She and Steve were also longtime members of the NorSweDane folk dance group.

Brenda was passionate about Scandinavian culture and collected books, home décor, and holiday decorations on a Scandinavian theme. She also collected Girl Scouts memorabilia and books and novels of North Dakota history and literature. Ever since Brenda took a high school speed reading course, she could speed through books faster than anyone, so the house was always filled with books. She had a sixth sense for finding the best treasures at area thrift stores and antique stores. Brenda was a lifelong gardener, indoors and out, and was a certified Master Gardener. She loved music, playing piano and ukulele, and singing. Minnesota Public Radio was always on at home and in the car. She had a memory like a steel trap and often recalled the locations of lost items, forgotten memories, and events, obscure crossword clues, and was, in her words, “a font of useless knowledge.” She passed her love of books, thrifting, music, and gardening on to her daughters.

She and Steve also spent time at the lakes in Minnesota, first at family cabins on Leif Lake and later at their own cabin on Tamarack Lake. Taking long walks, hunting for interesting plants, and being on the water brought joy during the hot summer months.

Brenda loved spending time with friends, including her “ladies who lunch” group, who often met at local coffee shops or the Sons of Norway for coffee or lunch, her folk dance friends, and her many cousins. Her family and many friends will deeply miss her.