Shirley Vigstol, of Thief River Falls, passed away on Thursday, September 14, 2023 at Sanford Hospital in Thief River Falls, MN, at the age of 91.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, September 18, 2023 at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Thief River Falls, MN.  Burial will follow at Emmardville Cemetery, rural Plummer, MN.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM, with a 7:00 PM Prayer Service on Sunday, September 17, 2023 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN.  Visitation will also take place one hour prior to the funeral service on Monday at the church.

Shirley Melvine Hjelle was born at home in Newfolden Township, Newfolden, MN, on November 23, 1931, the daughter of Karinus and Clara (Bengtson) Hjelle.

She went to Wildwood Country School for 8 years and graduated from Newfolden High School in the Class of 1951.  Following graduation she worked as a waitress for the summer in Grand Forks, then went to the Area Vocational Training School in Thief River Falls to become an LPN.  Following nurse's training she worked at the Eitel Hospital in Minneapolis and Deaconess Hospital in Grand Forks.

Shirley met Harold Adolphson through a mutual friend and they were married in February 1956 and she began working at Northwestern Hospital in Thief River Falls.  Shirley and Harold had three children:  Julie, Kyle, and Caryl.  Harold passed away in February 1963.

Shirley raised her family alone until a tall, handsome man came and knocked on her door in late 1967.

She and Ray Vigstol were married on August 30, 1968 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls. They moved to Ely, MN, for a year where daughter Kristyn was born, then to Red Lake Falls where daughter Rebecca was born, then to a farm northwest of Plummer for 14 years.  In 1988 they moved to Rocksbury Township near Thief River Falls where they have lived since.

As a young person Shirley loved to ski.  She told of a small hill near the Wildwood School they would ski down, lay down on their skis and go under a barb wire fence.

Raising her family was her life's work.  She was a hard-working wife and mom, cooking, baking all kinds of breads and pastries, Norwegian wedding cakes for family and friends, sewed clothes for the kids and herself, raised large gardens and canned and froze the produce.  She also taught Sunday School and volunteered at Our Saviour's Christian Academy in Thief River Falls.

Her favorite Bible verse was John 3:16. Shirley trusted Jesus Christ as her Saviour when she was 13 at the Warren Bible Camp.  Shirley said, "I was away from the Lord for a while in my twenties and remember how good it was to 'come home'."

Shirley loved ALL her family and would spend hours praying for them.

Shirley is survived by her husband, Ray; children Julie Adolphson, Kyle (Marcy) Adolphson, Caryl (Todd) Reed, Kristyn (James) Riley, and Rebecca (Mike) Jordet; grandchildren Shannon Adolphson, Mikayla (Jordan) Chaput, Wendy Robbins, Whitney Delvo, Cody (Lisa) Adolphson, Travis (Tera) Collins, Chelsey (Turner) Sawatzke, James Riley, Jordyn (Anton) Williams, Grace Jordet, and Aaron Jordet; great-grandchildren Aiden, Elliott, Autumn, Naomi, Jordan, Kirsten, Marcus, Masson, Myles, Alexis, Jaxon, Hazel, Kooper, Theodore (due in February); brothers Donn and Lloyd (Sally) Hjelle; sister Joyce Nelson; brothers-in-law Eldon (Karen), Richard (Valerie), Russell (Ruth), Daniel (Janet), David (Susan), and Steven (Denise) Vigstol; sisters-in-law Anne Anderson, Maribeth (Scott) Miller, and Jeanie Vigstol; step sisters-in-law Elaine (Arnold) Palmer and Beverly (Ben) Titleman; special family friend Debra (Bill) Joysey; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Harold Adolphson; parents Karinus and Clara Hjelle; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Nels and Effie Vigstol; step father-in-law Burnel Byer; brother and sisters-in-law, Robert and Helen Hjelle, Shirley and Ann Hjelle; brothers-in-law, Neil and Lee Vigstol and O.J. Anderson; and grandson, Tyler Adolphson.