Della Ann Bjornstad

Della Ann was born in Richville, MN on October 14, 1934, the daughter of Cyrus R. Stewart and Ethel E. (Wells) Stewart. She attended elementary school in two different rural schools near Richville, MN and entered high school in Perham, MN, finishing up her senior year in Minneapolis, MN following a family move there in 1952. In 1954 she graduated from Minneapolis Vocational High School in the stenographer program. Upon graduation from high school she worked at office jobs in Minneapolis, MN.

While living in the Richville area Della Ann attended Basswood Baptist Church where she met and later married Robert Dale Bjornstad in August, 1955. They were married for 58 years when he passed on in 2014. They had four children, Vernon, Michael, Tracy and Jody. Robert’s work took him to Canada where they lived for twenty years in different areas all across the country before moving back to the United States in 1984. Della Ann was a stay-at-home mom while her children were growing up and then worked for several years in the offices of Vanguard Airlines.

After retirement they were drawn, once again, back to the Basswood, MN area in 1999 where they bought the Expressions From the Heart gift shop in Battle Lake, MN. Della Ann had an eye for beautiful things and her inventory in the shop was testament to that. She did love that kind of work and didn’t consider it a job. She so enjoyed it. They owned and operated the gift shop until 2012 when they sold it and completely retired.

Della Ann was a member of Basswood Baptist Church and following the death of Robert, she became very involved with that ministry. She was the church clerk and also served as the treasurer for many years before poor health prompted a move to Corpus Christi, Texas to be near her daughter, Jody.

Surviving Della Ann are her children, Vernon Bjornstad, Michael (Janice) Bjornstad, Tracy (David) Bishop, and Jody Messer; her grandchildren, Christina and Kenneth Bjornstad, James Bjornstad, Laura (Iain) West, Cassandra, Jacob, Robert and Braedon Bishop, Katherine and Kendall Messer; her great grandchildren McKenzie Jamieson-Bjornstad, Ariel Bjornstad, and Harvey West; her sister Rosetta Herricks; along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Preceding Della Ann in death were her husband, Robert; her parents, Cyrus and Ethel; her brother, Douglas Stewart; her sister, Elaine Elliott; and her son-in-law James Messer.