Arlene Bjerke, 77 of Thief River Falls, MN, passed away on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at Altru Hospital, Grand Forks, ND.

Funeral service for Arlene will be held on Friday, August 25, 2023 at 2:00 PM at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN with Pastor Pete Lee officiating. Burial will be held at Greenwood Cemetery in Thief River Falls at a later date.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the Funeral home on Friday.

Arlene was born July 29, 1946 in Thief River Falls MN, the daughter of DeWein and Alice (Olson) Lappegaard. She grew up and attended school in Thief River Falls.

On November 3, 1962 she married her one and only love, Duane Bjerke at St. John Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, MN. To this union four children were born Peggy, Jerrold, Penny and Patty. The family resided in Rockford, MN until 1979 when they relocated to the family farm north of Thief River Falls, MN. Arlene adored her family and looked forward to getting together with them as often as possible. She loved camping with her family and friends. She was especially fond of the girl's weekend in March, attending horse racing with her daughters and celebrating birthdays with her sisters. Arlene's favorite holiday was Christmas, she was known for her decorating and family tradition of making Lefse and Wedding Bell cookies.

She enjoyed her job working in food services at the Northwest Medical Center from 1979 until 2009 and later at the Challenger Elementary School cafeteria. She truly appreciated all the people she met along the way.

Arlene is survived by her son Jerrold (Kimberly) Bjerke; daughters Penny (Ryan) Brang and Patty Forsberg; grandchildren Jordan (Brittney) Bjerke, Shyenne and Cameron White, Carolyn (Gerald) Stothers, Tiffany (Justin) Sieling, Thomas (Nichole) Bjerke, Kyrsten (Joshua) Kirk, Matthew and Andrew Brang, Mikel (Tashayla) and David Forsberg; her much loved great-grandchildren Jak and Jasper Bjerke, Landon and Hadleigh Stothers, Connor McKittrick, Gabriel Tew, Josiah, Thorgrim and Nikolia Bjerke, Samuel and Elijah Kirk; sisters LouAnn, Mona, Darla, Marcy, and Samantha, her Brother Bubba and sisters-in-law Jody and Christy; along with many nieces, nephews and family.

Arlene is preceded in death by husband Duane Bjerke, daughter Peggy Bjerke, granddaughters Raya and Sabrina; 3 brothers, 2 sisters, one brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

In Lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested.