Ramona Luoma

Ramona Jean Luoma, age 64, of Wadena, passed-away January 16, 2008, at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was born to John and Phyllis (Boylan) Beving on May 13, 1943 in Bertha. Mona was raised in Leaf River Township. During her youth she was active in 4-H, including showing pigs at the State Fair. After graduating from Wadena High School in 1961, she attended nurses training at General Hospital in Minneapolis. Mona was united in marriage with Richard Libby in 1963 at Wadena United Methodist Church. He passed-away later that year due to an accident. On June 18, 1965 she was united in marriage with Warner Luoma at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Fridley. From 1965 to 1971, Mona worked as a Registered Nurse at several hospitals, Good Samaritan, Phoenix, AZ., St. Paul Ramsey, St. Paul, MN, and Aitkin Community Hospital, Aitkin, MN. From 1972 to 1984, Mona and her husband, Warner, served as missionaries of the Lutheran Church in America in Sumatra Indonesia. In Indonesia, she developed family health, community development, and leadership training programs. She also published, in the Indonesian language, several books used for training community workers. After returning to the US in 1984, Mona served as a mission interpreter for the Metropolitan Synod of New York, and worked as a Foster Care Nurse for the Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York. In 1988, she started as a pediatric nurse at the University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital and Clinics, achieving specialty certification in pediatric nursing. Moving back home to Wadena in 1998, Mona worked part time as a case manager in Home Nursing, first at Caring Hands and then at Tri County Hospital. A common thread through all of this was her love of the Lord, which expressed itself not only through her work, but also her commitment to the church in each place she lived. She moved easily with city dwellers in Indonesia or New York, as well as those living in rural and agricultural areas in Sumatra or Minnesota. After returning to Wadena she was certified as a parish nurse and served at Immanuel Lutheran Church. She was also active in the Sew and Sew Homemakers Club, of which her grandmother was a founding member. She was active in Faithfully Fit Forever and the Prayer Shawl Ministry at church; and the Bloodmobile and Breast Cancer Support group in the community. She also developed a program, when needed, to provide grief support to persons in need of counseling. Through all of these activities her family remained extremely important to her. She will truly be missed. Mona was preceded in death by her first husband, Richard; her father John; and brother James. She is survived by her husband, Warner; daughter Gail (Kurt) Johnson of Andover; grandson Alexander Johnson; mother Phyllis Beving of Wadena; brothers Roger (Janet) Beving of Rockford, IL, and John Beving of Fargo, ND; and sister Marlene (Allen) Keller of Coon Rapids. Pallbearers will be Paul Eickhoff, Larry Greenwaldt, Allen Keller, Phil Meier, David Bauer, and George Wheeler, Jr. Funeral services were Saturday, January 19, 2008, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wadena with Pastor Rob Nelson officiating. Interment was at Wadena Cemetery in Wadena.

Ramona Luoma

May 13, 1943 - January 16, 2008