Harriet Blackwell

FUNERAL SERVICES : 1:00 P.M. Friday, April 2, 2010 at First Baptist Church in Park Rapids, MN.VISITATION : from 5-8:00 P.M. Thursday, April 1, 2010 at the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids with a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. and one hour prior to the service at First Baptist Church on Friday.INTERMENT :will be made at White Oak Cemetery in Chamberlain, MN.SURVIVORS :She is survived by her son Richard (Rick) Vanden-Eykel of Jamestown, ND; his daughters; Laurie Vanden-Eykel of Fargo, ND and Rikki (Scott) Hilgemann of Hutchinson, MN and their three children; Mary, Jerome & Jennifer, her daughter, Linda (Kevin) Kasel of Saint Michael, MN and their children Kayla & Aaron. Her sister, Janet Nasser of Park Rapids, MN, two sister-in-laws; Wilma Van Den Eykel of Hawthorne, CA & Irma Van Den Eykel-Peterson of Akeley, MN, and many nieces and nephews. Also there are 3 very special people that have adopted her as their second mother; Gunder Austin and Jim & LeAnne Worley all of Jamestown, ND. HARRIET EDITH (VAN DEN EYKEL) BLACKWELL November 28, 1926 ~ March 30, 2010 Harriet went to meet her Lord and Savior on March 30, 2010, peacefully at her home after over a twenty-five plus years battle with cancer. Harriet, the daughter of John Harry & Ella (Wilcox) Van Den Eykel was born on November 28, 1926 in Lebanon, South Dakota. At the age of seven, her family moved to Minnesota where they near her home in White Oak Township, southeast of Park Rapids. She completed eight years of education at the West Bell Country School. In 1948, she ventured to California and returned to Minnesota the following year. Harriet worked as a seamstress for many years. On November 23, 1957 she married Edward D. Blackwell in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the fifties & sixties they made several moves which included California, Tennessee, and finally settling back in White Oak Township where she lived for 40 years. Harriet worked at Heritage Living Center located in Park Rapids, Minnesota as a dietary aide. She retired at the age of seventy-one. Harriet was an avid gardener, seamstress and volunteer, who loved spending time with her family. She traveled extensively throughout the United States, putting hundreds of thousands of mile on her automobiles. In 2004, Harriet became ill while visiting her son and spent 2 ½ months in a nursing home, then moved into a basic care home for four years. It was decided that on October 1, 2008 she would move in with her son and his roommate to be taken care of by them, where she has resided until the time of her death. A special thank you to the staff of Roger Maris Cancer Center for all of their support and care over the past 25 years. She is survived by her son Richard (Rick) Vanden-Eykel of Jamestown, ND; his daughters; Laurie Vanden-Eykel of Fargo, ND and Rikki (Scott) Hilgemann of Hutchinson, MN and their three children; Mary, Jerome & Jennifer, her daughter, Linda (Kevin) Kasel of Saint Michael, MN and their children Kayla & Aaron. Her sister, Janet Nasser of Park Rapids, MN, two sister-in-laws; Wilma Van Den Eykel of Hawthorne, CA & Irma Van Den Eykel-Peterson of Akeley, MN, and many nieces and nephews. Also there are 3 very special people that have adopted her as their second mother; Gunder Austin and Jim & LeAnne Worley all of Jamestown, ND. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, a sister Anne Mae Madsen, and two brothers, Roger & Henry. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 P.M., Friday, April 2, 2010 at First Baptist Church in Park Rapids with Pastor Joshua Hawn officiating. The pianist will be Al Henderson. Donna Mugford will be singing "The Old Rugged Cross and Pastor Joshua and Amy Hawn will sing "Sweet Hour of Prayer". Congregational hymns will be "When We All Get to Heaven" and "In the Garden". Casketbearers will be: Robert Nasser, Gary Nasser, Jeanne Massie, Bruce Massie, John Massie and Riley Massie. Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 PM Thursday, April 1, 2010 at the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. and one hour prior to the services at the church on Friday. Final resting place will be made at White Oak Cemetery in Chamberlain, MN. A memorial service will be held at Grace Episcopal Church in Jamestown, ND at a later date for her local family and friends.