Elva Alice Bjerke

Elva Alice (Van Gilder) Bjerke was born on April 25, 1937, to George and Irene (Barton) Van Gilder of rural Bradley, SD. Elva attended school in Bradley where she graduated from Bradley High School. Bradley High School was where she met Don (Dunk) Bjerke. While she was dating Don, Elva's Dad George made it clear that if Don wanted to marry his daughter, he would need to graduate from High School. So, he did. The couple were married at the Bradley Baptist Church on September 4, 1955. The couple lived in the area and various other South Dakota communities. In 1964 they moved to Crown Point, Indiana. The family would reside there for nearly 30 years. Elva enjoyed living on the farm in Crown Point, as it likely reminded her of growing up on the farm near Bradley. She enjoyed raising sheep and supported her children's participation in 4H activities. Elva loved gardening. She always enjoyed tending to the garden and to her plants and flowers.

In 1993 the couple moved to an acreage near Watertown, SD where they retired. They enjoyed being close to their family and attending family events. She continued her love for gardening and tending to plants and flowers. She likely got this passion from her mother, who was known for the same thing. Elva's legacy will certainly be that she was a loving mother and caretaker all her life. Being the first born of nine children, Elva was somewhat of a second mother in the Van Gilder home. She helped her mother take care of her siblings starting at the age of 2. She was remarkably close to her children, especially Vickie. She unselfishly cared for Vickie all of her life. Elva and Vickie had an incredibly special bond which was evident whenever you were around the two of them. Elva was a member of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Watertown. She passed away in Watertown on March 27, 2024, at age 86.

Preceding her in death were her husband, Donald "Dunk" Bjerke, parents, George and Irene, her brothers, George (Jake), Don, Walt, and Fred, her sister, Molly, her sister-in-law, Sharon, brother-in-law Donald Paulson, and her daughter, Vickie.

After nearly 87 years of life, there are many that are grateful for having shared in her life. Those include her sisters, Irene (Ed) Koerner, Pat (Jerry) Paulson-Caulfield, Nancy Van Gilder, her sisters-in-law, Mirna Van Gilder, Judy (Rick) Aslesen, Pam Van Gilder, her children, Steven Bjerke, of San Francisco, CA, and Donelva (Boyd) Dunham of Brighton CO, her loving Grandchildren, Lance (Briana) Bjerke and their children Aria, Aven and Anna of Melbourne FL, Colton (Alison) Bjerke and their children Cedar and Ansel of Silver City NM, Stephanie Dunham of Cheyenne WY, and Kendra Dunham of Bradenton FL., and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Furness Funeral Home where there is an online registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com.