Nona Florin

FUNERAL SERVICES : 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at the Hope Church in Apple Valley, MN. (7477 145th Street West) VISITATION : One hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday.INTERMENT : SURVIVORS : Her husband, Linn of Prior Lake, MN; beloved children, Deb (Ron) Seger of Prior Lake, MN, Scott (Linda) Florin of Winona, MN, Randy (Julie) Florin of Winona, MN and Jeff (LuAnn) Florin of Houston, TX; 6 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren; brothers: Norm Carney of Lakeview Terrace, CA, Dennis Carney of Savage, MN and Allyn Carney of Simi, CA; sister, Corinne (Dallas) Denzer of Minnesota City, MN. NONA MARIE FLORINMay 8, 1938 ~ January 2, 2011 Nona Marie Florin, 72, of Prior Lake, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus on Sunday, January 2nd, 2011 at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, MN. She was a wonderful wife and mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, mentor and friend whose smile, thoughtfulness, love and support will be dearly missed. Her deep faith gave her comfort, strength and grace as she endured many complications and long struggles with her health until she finally passed peacefully into eternity. Nona was born May 8th, 1938 in Winona, MN, to Elmer and Marguerite (Damon) Carney. She grew up in Winona and graduated from Winona High School in 1956. She proposed to and married her high school sweetheart, Linn B. Florin, on January 26, 1957 at Calvary Bible Church in Winona. Their union was blessed with 4 children. Throughout their 53 years of marriage, Nona and Linn resided in Winona, MN; Decorah, IA; Lansing, IA; Denham Springs, LA and Prior Lake, MN. During her career, Nona along with Linn, owned and operated Linn"s Caf, Lansing IA; Florin"s Restaurant, Winona, MN and the Snack Shop, Winona, MN. Nona was a cook and baker of exceptional talent using recipes she perfected at home. Her homemade pies, sweet rolls, bread and entrees were the mainstay of their business and local favorites for many years. All of her life Nona was a gifted seamstress who loved designing and sewing pageant dresses and custom clothing. Her attention to details and reasonable prices created a high demand for her dresses in a very competitive industry that strives for perfection. She sold her dresses nationwide through her online business, Sew Special Fashions. She was a tremendous asset to the pageant designing industry and was one of the few people to share her knowledge and expertise with others who were just starting out in the business. She selflessly used her talents to help others as she supported the American Cancer Society and the Denham Springs area cancer survivors by fashioning special hats and scarves, which she lovingly tailored to meet the unique needs of women going through cancer treatment. She was very talented and creative ~ besides sewing, she enjoyed knitting, crocheting, bird watching, cooking Cajun foods, making homemade soup, emailing, watching movies and celebrating life"s joys with her family. Nona especially loved animals ~ her cats were her constant companions while she worked endless hours in her sewing shop. Nona will be loved and forever missed by her devoted husband, Linn of Prior Lake, MN; beloved children, Deb (Ron) Seger of Prior Lake, MN, Scott (Linda) Florin of Winona, MN, Randy (Julie) Florin of Winona, MN and Jeff (LuAnn) Florin of Houston, TX; 6 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren; brothers: Norm Carney of Lakeview Terrace, CA, Dennis Carney of Savage, MN and Allyn Carney of Simi, CA; sister, Corinne (Dallas) Denzer of Minnesota City, MN. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers: Donald and Merv Carney. A Memorial Service to honor and celebrate her life will be held at 1 PM Saturday, January 15, 2011 with a visitation one hour prior to the service. Reverend Tim Fulkerson will be officiating the service held at Hope Church, 7477 145th St. W, Apple Valley, MN; www.hopechurchcma.org. Honorary pallbearers will be Nona"s grandchildren: Michael Florin, Amanda (Florin) Knutson, Veronica (Seger) Hill, Willie Seger, Katie Florin and Kyle Florin. A lunch will be served immediately following the service. To our beloved Nona ~ "I wrote your name in the sandbut the waves washed it awayI wrote your name in the skybut the wind blew it awaySo I wrote your name in my heartand that"s where it will stayalways."