Elizabeth Axmark

Our mother M. Elizabeth Axmark reached her final journey to heaven on January 20, 2017. She was born Mary Elizabeth Englund, on December 2, 1920 In Hoveland, Cook County, Minnesota to Alexander and Blanche (Wilson) Englund. Mary Elizabeth was the second child following her brother Milton. As the family continued to grow, following M. Elizabeth, her sister Margaret and younger brother Bernard were born, completing the family of four. They grew up in a frontier environment near the shores of Lake Superior in the arrowhead of northeastern Minnesota. Elizabeth and her siblings attended Hoveland Flute Reed County School. At the age of 12 Elizabeth made a life changing decision when she received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, on March 12, 1933. She followed this decision in water baptism on August 20, 1933. When Elizabeth was ready for high school she came to Rochester, Minnesota to live with her mothers sister, Aunt Grace, and began attending Rochester High School. She was joined in Rochester the following year by her mother and two younger siblings. In her first year of high school she reversed her first and second names to be called Elizabeth Mary. She was called Elizabeth, Liz, or Lizzy by all who new her from that time on. She continued to grow in her faith in God during this time and made many new friends. One such friend was Mary Jane (Dooley) Wetenkamp. This friendship was life long and only separated shortly by Mary Janes passing to her eternal life. One significant person Elizabeth met came about by a friend named Ruth Axmark. Ruth asked Elizabeth if she could invite her brother to a bonfire and cook out. His name was Conrad, and he became her husband on September 15, 1940. To this marriage four children were born. Mary Jane, Clarence, Margaret and Carmen. Elizabeth became a very busy woman, working as a maid, a housewife and mom. Later on she was employed at Red Owl, where she worked for twenty-nine years. Elizabeth was a member of the Rochester Assembly of God church. Her involvement with the church, the work of the Lord, was her life. After her husband died in 1958, she continued to be fully involved in the church. She taught Sunday School for nearly fifty years. As a servant of the Lord, she helped in many areas, including the prayer team for the church. She also had her own prayer list of family and friends that she faithfully brought to God. Without a husband, the help of the Lord became her main source of strength, trust, guidance and provision. Her four children have the blessing of being taught these Biblical principles as Elizabeth lived it out throughout their growing years. Elizabeth is survived by her four children: Mary Jane (Perry) Heitman, Lake City, Minnesota, Clarence (Ruth) Axmark, Belvidere, Illinois, Margaret (Arlin) Meyer, The Netherlands, and Carmen (David) Holmgren, Rochester, Minnesota; One sister-in-law Gladys Englund, St. Paul, Minnesota; Twelve grandchildren: Jon, Steve, James, JoAnn, Dean, Petra, Lisa, Andy, Stephanie, Chris, Davina, and Daven; Twenty great-grandchildren: Trisha, Mitchell, Elizabeth, Laura, Emily, Emilee, Kameron, Malorie, Natalie, Alexis, Isabella, Andrea, Jennifer, Kara, T.J., A.J., C.J., Gabby, Alex, and Olivia. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her husband Conrad; parents Alexander and Blanche Englund; brother and sister-in-law Milton and Mary Englund; sister and brother-in-law Margaret and Lyndon Geselle; brother Bernard (Barney); one granddaughter-in-law Lisa Heitman one great-grandson, Damien. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at Rochester Assembly Church 4240 18th Ave. NW. Visitation will be on Friday, January 27, 2017 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes 5421 Royal Place NW Rochester and one hour prior to the service Saturday at the church. Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens. Memorials may be designated to the Expansion Program at Rochester Assembly Church. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home 5421 Royal Place NW Rochester, MN 55901