Louise Solseng of Thief River Falls, age 88, died on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at Oakland Park Communities surrounded by her loving family.

Visitation will begin at 3:00 PM with the service to celebrate Louise’s life at 4:00 PM on Monday, June 22, 2026, at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN with Barb Price and Cindy Ellingson officiating. A time for lunch and fellowship will follow the service. Burial will follow at Norden Church Cemetery, rural Thief River Falls.

Louise Marie Solseng was born November 12, 1937, in Drayton, ND to Oscar C. and Lillian E. (Matthew) Knutson. She was baptized and confirmed at the Community Methodist Church. She grew up in Thief River Falls, MN, where she attended Washington Elementary School and attended & graduated from Lincoln High School as a proud member of the Class of 1955. After graduation, she furthered her education taking courses in bookkeeping and shorthand.

In 1955, she met a handsome, young farmer, Martin E. “Junior” Solseng Jr., at the local roller skating rink. They were united in marriage on June 23, 1956 at the Community Methodist Church in Thief River Falls. To this union, two daughters were born, Sherry and Michelle “Shelly”. Together, Junior & Louise built a life centered on faith, family, and farming. Junior preceded her in death on July 29, 2015.

Junior & Louise owned & operated a family farm in Norden Township, west of Thief River Falls. They grew wheat, oats, & alfalfa, raised beef & feeder cattle, and milked dairy cattle. Louise was the farm bookkeeper, drove tractor, hauled grain, and tackled whatever work needed to be done. Louise loved to drive her Case Model 830 tractor. Louise continued to live on the farm until March 26, 2026. During the 1980’s, they also owned and operated the Goodridge Hartz Store & Café.

Louise worked off the farm for several years. She started working at LB Hartz Wholesale in high school and continued to work there for several years as an administrative assistant & bookkeeper under Vice President Harry Simons. She then worked for Marshall Simons handling bookkeeping for several Hartz grocery stores. She also worked at Thrifty White and then reconciled insurance claims & did bookkeeping at Ekeren Drug Store. Her final position was as the first bookkeeper for Diamonds & Designs, Inc.

Louise loved singing, making music, & listening to it. She played clarinet in the LHS Band including the Pep Band & Marching Band, took violin lessons from Sister Placid, and played the accordion and piano. She sang in the Oak Ridge Lutheran Church choir and served as church organist for more than 60 years, retiring on April 20, 2025.

A devoted member of Oak Ridge Lutheran Church, she served as a Sunday school teacher & pianist, WELCA treasurer, choir member, and organist.

Louise was an avid MN Wild hockey fan and MN Twins baseball fan. She enjoyed attending Prowlers, Thieves, and Norskies hockey games. She only missed five TRF Norskie home games from 2016 to 2022!

Louise liked to keep busy. She had many hobbies and interests including reading, quilting, crocheting, sewing, baking, gardening, refinishing furniture, making jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, playing Bunco at the Heritage Center, attending auction sales, and in her younger years, snowmobiling with friends and earning marksmanship awards in high school. She served as a 4-H adult leader.

Most of all, she loved spending time with family and friends, and always had baked goods on hand for visitors.

Louise is survived by her two daughters, Sherry (Gary) Page and Michelle (Tim) Benton, all of Thief River Falls; her grandchildren, Brandon (Lacey) Page of Thief River Falls and Allison (Al Kong) Page of Madison, TN; her great-grandson, Jacob Page; her brothers-in-law, Harold (Karin) Solseng of Germany and Elton (Colleen) Solseng of Harwood, ND; her nieces, Heidi (John) Balestrieri and Tracy Solseng; her nephew-in-law, Michael Gannon; her godson, John Dyrdal; special family friend, Dan Lockskin, and many other family and friends including her LHS Class of 1955 classmates.

Louise was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Martin Solseng Jr.; her parents, Oscar C. & Lillian Knutson; her in-laws, Martin Sr. & Esther Solseng; her sister, Eldora (Ferrl) Ranum; her half-sister, Aves (Valentine) Yanuszeski; her sister-in-law, Ann Ranum; her foster brother-in-law, Daryl (LuAnn) Lewis; her niece, Esther Gannon; and dear family friends & neighbors, Eleanor Joyce, Don & Ann Dyrdal, and Janice Olson.

Louise will be remembered for her strong work ethic, unwavering faith, love of music & sports, dedication to her family, and the kindness she shared with all who knew her.

In honor of Louise’s love of hockey, the family requests that family and friends wear TRF Norskies or MN Wild hockey apparel to her celebration of life.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Oak Ridge Lutheran Church or Norden Cemetery. The family would like to give special thanks to the following: Oakland Park Communities staff, Dr. Daniel Paeth, HIA Hospice, Pennington County Sheriff’s Deputies and EMT’s.