Tefft, Violet Marie (Skou) Violet Tefft passed away peacefully of natural causes at The Gardens Nursing home in St. Paul, MN on May 17, 2020, at the age of 101. Vi is survived by her children Jolene deKeyser (Chuck) of Issaquah, WA, Jerry Tefft (Grant) of St. Paul, MN and Jennifer Williams (Dan) of Fort Collins, CO; grandchildren Jon Bunnett (Melanie), Ted deKeyser, Nicolas deKeyser (Christine), Tyra Kleppen (Alex), Eric Kleppen (Kristen), Carrie Swails (Nick), Andy Williams (Michaelyn) and 7 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years William Howard "Howie" Tefft; parents, Carrie Marie and Peter Pedersen Skou, as well as her 7 siblings and their spouses. Burial will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Due to the pandemic, a life celebration will be scheduled for a later date. Guest book:
washburn-mcreavy.com/. Violet was born November 21, 1918 in Luck, WI during the Spanish Flu pandemic, and graduated from Luck High School. As a young woman she worked at a bakery in Luck until she moved to Minneapolis. Vi loved to dance. She went to many community dances where she saw Howie before actually meeting him. He always had an eye out for the best dancers in the room and she was one of them. Although they had seen each other at dances before, she finally met Howie on a bus on the way to a dance. They married in July 1941 and by April of '42 Howie was off to war in France for 3 1/2 years. They started their family later than planned once he got back home to Minnesota. Vi was a caring wife and loving mother for many years. She grew a huge garden each summer, canning and making pickles, and in the winter, she would turn that garden into a skating rink for her kids. She loved volunteering with the women's circles at her church and found fulfillment helping people she knew who needed physical help or a shoulder to lean on. Her family remembers her as a person who taught them many wonderful things about life. She set an example for how to be a wonderful neighbor. She kept family traditions alive through meals and recipes. Her grandchildren couldn't wait for her to make Aebleskiver or her apple pie. She kept many family photographs during a time when photography wasn't as easily accessible. This instilled a love of stories, genealogy, and photography. Late in her life you could still find her working in the garden, reading, or creating things. She taught her family a love of the arts. Her memory, laughter, and stories will be missed by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Washburn-McReavy.com Columbia Hts Chapel 763-789-4436