Cliff Buchan
News EditorMary Therese and Tom Rolseth celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Aug. 23, but it was a union that would never have happened without the lake.
The two met in Forest Lake on a summer day in 1946 when Mary Therese came here for a weekend break with friends. And it was just by chance, Tom Rolseth said this week remembering how the two met. Rolseth lost his lifeís partner on Monday, Nov. 3 when Mary Therese Rolseth, 77, died at home after a two-year battle with a heart condition.
As Tom Rolseth remembers, his wife-to-be and a group of friends had planned a summer break on Lake Minnetonka only to lose their reservation at the last minute. Thanks to a co-worker at the Minneapolis Journal where Mary worked in the business office, a reservation was secured at Lakeside Cabins in Forest Lake.
ìThe story was really something,î Rolseth said, recalling that day. He was like many of the young men in Forest Lake who often checked out the ìsummer girlsî who came to Forest Lake to enjoy the lake.
Rolseth was home from the war and a stint in the Navy in 1946. He was the proud owner of a 1923 Ford Model T touring car that was an eye catcher.
ìI used to go around and pick up the girls,î he said. ìI saw her and that was it.î
The two clicked immediately, he said, even though Mary Therese was engaged to a man in Iowa, her home state. ìShe was engaged,î he said. ìBut I was here he was there.î
Two years later the two married. They lived in Minneapolis until 1951 when Rolseth graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy.
They moved back to his hometown and resumed working full-time at Petersen Drug. The store name changed to Rolseth Drug when Rolseth purchased the business in 1961.
Life in FL
Rolsethís wife remained in her job with the Minneapolis newspaper for a number of years, but quickly took to life in Forest Lake.
ìShe got along famously with everyone here,î Rolseth said. ìHer world existence was changed, but she was a small town gal.î
She was born on April 23, 1926 in Emmetsburg, IA, and moved to the Twin Cities to work as a young woman.
After marrying and settling in Forest Lake, she found time to be an active volunteer in the community while remaining a stay-at-home mom for the five Rolseth children that would be born to the couple.
She was active in many functions at St. Peterís Catholic Church, worked as a volunteer with numerous activities with her children, served on the Forest Lake Police Commission and was on the governing board at Forest Hills Golf Club.
At Rolseth Drug, she worked behind the scenes helping with the store bookkeeping.
Funeral details
A memorial Mass for Mary Therese Rolseth was Saturday, Nov. 8 at St. Peterís Catholic Church.
She is survived by her husband, Thomas J. Rolseth; children Tom (Mary) Rolseth, Woodbury, Terri (Don) Montgomery, Whitefish, MT, Kathy (Mike) LaForge, Bozeman, MT, Karen (Tom) Dickey, Frisco, CO, and John Rolseth, Tucson, AZ; 14 grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; sisters Iris and Helen; and other relatives, friends and her dog, Penny.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Wesley and Amelia Mills, and one brother, Russell Mills.
The family prefers memorials to the Forest Lake Food Shelf, care of Community Helping Hand, P.O. Box 311, Forest Lake, MN 55025.
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