R. CAROL THORSON, 81

R. Carol Thorson, 81, of Blair, died Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009, at Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha.

Memorial services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, at First Lutheran Church in Blair.

R. Carol Hare was born Feb. 6, 1928, in Battle Creek, Iowa, to Leonard and Mae (Singleman) Hare. She graduated from Battle Creek High School and attended business school in Sioux City, Iowa.

She met Gerald E. Thorson, her husband of nearly 62 years, on a blind date while she was living in Sioux City and working for the telephone company. The couple married on March 30, 1947.

Mrs. Thorson is remembered as a loving wife and devoted mother. She was an avid reader and an excellent seamstress. She sewed everything from her daughters’ school clothes to draperies for her home. She liked to refinish furniture and woodwork. She could turn dilapidated wood into a showpiece with hours of sanding and patiently applied coats of varnish.

She is survived by her husband, Jerry; daughters and sons-in-law, Julie and Charles Rohlfing, and Susan and Ken Holstein, all of Blair; son, Michael Thorson of Reno, Nev.; grandchildren, Brian Holstein, Krista Holstein, Mark and Shannon Rohlfing; two great-granddaughters, Abigail and Kate Rohlfing; brother, Leonard Hare of Waterloo, Iowa; sisters, Marjorie Kerr, Thermopolis, Wyo.; and Donna Hoard, Las Vegas, Nev.; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Naomi Cox; and two brothers, Leslie Hare and Vernon Hare.

Memorials are suggested to First Lutheran Church, the American Lung Association, or the Blair Public Library.

Campbell-Aman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.