Arlene Mosley Lerdal

Arlene Betty Mosley Lerdal was born on May 26, 1925, in Flandreau, South Dakota, to Ole and Alice (Julson) Holvig. She graduated from Flandreau High School in 1943, then went to work as a Deputy Clerk of Courts for the Moody County Courthouse, also lending a hand at her parents' grocery store, "The Holvig Coffee Company". On June 2, 1946, Arlene married Kenneth B. Mosley, and the two settled in Pipestone, Minnesota, where they raised three children: Kathleen, Randall, and Daniel. Arlene worked at Hess Motor Express, the J. F. White Dental Office, as secretary to the Junior High Principal, and as Deputy Clerk of Courts for Pipestone County — where she fondly recalled typing every handwritten birth record in the county's register. When Kenneth passed away on February 11, 1965, Arlene stayed rooted in Pipestone and in her community. In 1966, she ran for Clerk of Courts and won, serving a four-year term beginning in 1967. She went on to work for a local attorney before becoming Office Manager of the Pipestone Dental Center in 1972. On July 27, 1974, Arlene married Dean A. Lerdal of Garretson, South Dakota, and made her home there. She and Dean shared 45 years of marriage, filled with winters in Arizona for many of those years. Arlene continued working at the Pipestone Dental Center until 1981, and later earned her real estate license. Dean passed on November 6, 2019. On Thursday, September 10, 2026, Arlene passed away at the Pipestone County Hospice House at 101 years, 3 months and 15 days.

But above every job title and community role, what Arlene treasured most was time with family. She was the heart of countless gatherings — always ready to entertain, always glad for company. Her joy for life showed in the little things: she tap danced as a girl to her uncle's piano playing and kept dancing into her late 70s, performing with a group named The Val Vista Tap Dancers in Mesa, Arizona. She loved shopping, chasing down a good rummage sale, and the simple pleasure of a full house of family and friends. Arlene poured that same generous spirit into her community, belonging to the First Presbyterian Church of Pipestone, The Eastern Star, The American Legion Auxiliary, and Royal Neighbors of America, and serving as a Past Guardian of Job's Daughters.

She is survived by her three children, Kathleen Versteeg (Glenn) of Holland, Minnesota, Randall Mosley of Slayton, Minnesota, and Daniel Mosley of West St. Paul, Minnesota; seven grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; five-plus great-great-grandchildren; her sister, Marcia O'Neill of Troy, Illinois; and three stepchildren, many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends whose lives she touched along the way. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ole and Alice Holvig; her husbands, Kenneth B. Mosley and Dean A. Lerdal; her sister, Ardyce Ockenga (Donald); her brother-in-law, Jack O'Neill; a stepson, several aunts, uncles, a nephew, and cousins.