Ardis Eckman of Kimball died Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. She was 95.
A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at the Kimball Church of Christ with Pastor Vern Harris officiating. There was a time to visit and a lunch served following the service.
Ardis Margaret Eckman was born July 18, 1911, in Saskatoon, Sask., Canada, to Joseph and Inez (Erickson) Boire. Ardis, along with her family, moved to Kimball in 1922. She was the last living member of the 1929 Kimball High School graduation class. Ardis attended the University of Minnesota and worked in Engel’s store before marrying Reuben Eckman Nov. 24, 1932. They lived on the Eckman Bros. farm by School Section Lake. Ardis was baptized at the age of 12 and was always active in church. She was a Sunday School teacher, choir director and active in Christian Endeavor. She was a church pianist and organist for about 55 years. Ardis was past president of the local PTA. She worked for the Tri-County News for years as a type setter and proofreader. She also worked several seasons at the Cokato Canning Factory. She loved fishing and swimming. Ardis would go swimming with her grandchildren every day in the summer, and drove to St. Cloud for water aerobics and swimming two or three times a week until she was 93. She loved to hunt squirrels mostly, but one time during the Depression, Reuben and Elmer (her brother-in-law) went hunting pheasant and only shot a hen. She pointed at a big rooster in the wood box. She had been cleaning the separator in the barn when she saw a pheasant on the woodpile out back by the pond. She grabbed the 22, and shot it. She was a longtime member of the NRA. Reuben and Ardis spent many winters in Tucson, Ariz. She continued to spend her winters there for 16 years following his death. Ardis was a voracious reader. She had a great sense of humor and was a kid at heart all her life.
Ardis was preceded in death by her husband Reuben June 1, 1986; her parents; and sister Willa.
She is survived by her sister Lois Eding; children Lois (and Kenneth) Wills of Kimball, Richard (and Janet) Eckman of Kimball, Joanne (and Donald) Olson of Sauk Rapids, Robert (and Arlene) Eckman of Montrose, Colo.; grandchildren Luanne (Wills) Petersen, Bobbi (Wills) Corrigan, Shari (Eckman) Goff, Jed Eckman, Penny (Eckman) Blanchard, Melissa (Eckman) Goodfellow, Fay (Eckman) Nelson, Tim Olson, Kevin Olson, David Olson, Linnea (Olson) Bean, Russell Olson, Sarah (Olson) Harvey, Annikki (Olson) Saldona, Erik Eckman, Kristina (Eckman) Brown and Heather Eckman; 42 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
