Eleanor B. (Vertina) Gustafson

A Funeral Service for Eleanor B. Gustafson of Roseau, MN will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026, 2PM at Helgeson Funeral Home in Roseau, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the Funeral Home.

Eleanor “Babe” Gustafson, 94, of Roseau, Minnesota, died peacefully on January 7, 2026, at Life Care Medical Center in Roseau.
Eleanor was born on November 19, 1931, in Roseau, Minnesota, to Adolph Vertina and Olga Vertina Anderson. She was raised in the Roseau area and graduated from Beaver Township School, later continuing her education at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, where she earned a two-year degree in agriculture.
On October 20, 1951, Eleanor was united in marriage to Palmer Clifford Syverson at Falun Township. He preceded her in death on March 11, 1978. She later married Willard “Larry” Gustafson on March 30, 1991, at Spruce Church. He preceded her in death on September 1, 2015.
Throughout her life, Eleanor worked hard to support her family. She was employed as a waitress in Crookston and later worked for Marvin Lumber in Warroad, Minnesota. Her greatest accomplishment, however, was raising eight children, a role she took great pride in.
Eleanor was a member of the Free Lutheran Church. In her quieter moments, she enjoyed reading, gardening, bird watching, and watching game shows on television.
She is survived by her sons, Paul (Gail) Syverson, Clifford Syverson; daughters, Pat (Les) Hagen, Eileen Mcdonagh, Donna (George) Burkel, Rose Grugal, and Pam (Mike) Matthews; along with many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and extended family.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Palmer Syverson and Willard “Larry” Gustafson; her son Daniel Syverson; her granddaughter Denise Hagen; grandsons Daniel Jr. Syverson, Dale Syverson, and Austin Matthews; her brothers Lorne Vertina, Jerry Vertina, and Orville Vertina; and her sister Rose Vertina Tillman.  

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