Esther Gudrun Best, 96, died on September 19, 2002 at the Ellsworth Care Center in Ellsworth, Wisconsin.

Funeral service will be held on Monday, September 23, 2002 - 2:00 PM at the Johnson Green Funeral Home in Thief River Falls, with Pastor Tim Bauer officiating. Burial will be in the Greenwood Cemetery in Thief River Falls.

Visitation will be held at the Mahn Funeral Home in Red Wing, MN on Saturday starting at 3:00 PM and on Monday one hour prior to the funeral service at Johnson Green Funeral Home in Thief River Falls.

She was born May 22, 1906, in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, to Edward and Jorgina (Kolstad) Larson. She earned a degree in education from Moorhead State University and taught in Thief River Falls, Moorhead, Fergus Falls, Le Sueur, Crosby-Ironton and Blackduck, all in Minnesota.

She married William Lawrence Best in 1948. They resided in Thief River Falls before moving to Minnetonka in 1960. Her husband died in 1984 after which she lived in Red Wing, Minnesota; Tillamook, Oregon; and Beldenville, Wisconsin. She was a member of the English Lutheran Church in Ellsworth, WI. She enjoyed working on family history and geneology.

She was preceded in death by nine brothers and sisters and is survived by one sister, Ardith (Herbert) Ottman of Beldenville, Wisconsin. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.