Lokensgard, Anna Rachel Anna was born in 1943 in Houston TX and grew up in Mankato, MN where she graduated from Mankato High School and took art courses at Bethany Lutheran College there. She lived for many years in Minneapolis, most recently at Walker Methodist Health Care Center. The nurses and staff of Walker and Fairview Southdale Hospital and Hospice provided her with gentle, good care for which Anna's family and friends are grateful. Anna was a unique special needs person who responded to kindness and humor. She worked for one year as an art teacher's assistant and for a while in a sheltered workshop. She delivered mail to residents at Ebenezer Home. For many years, she enjoyed weekly meetings of the Drop-In Center directed by Larry Johnson at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. Larry commented about a group Ground Hog Day bowling trip when "the ever-amazing Anna got down and pushed the ball weakly with two hands. It was so slow we thought it would just wobble to the middle of the lane and stall, not even make it to the gutter. Miraculously, in the spirit of the humble tortoise racing the haughty hare, her ball did face up to the ten pins, and it was a strike. A strike of delight." Various family members shared memories: -Anna's mother Rachel once wrote that Anna had a "compassionate tender nature." -I had a strong connection with Anna when I was a child and I always looked forward to her visits because it felt so wonderful to be with an adult who really understood what it was like to be a kid. When I look at my daughter today, I try to remember to see things from her perspective because I know how much that meant to me. Thank you for teaching me that valuable lesson Anna. -Anna always remembered my birthday, and I would receive a five dollar bill, when I was very sick for so long, she prayed for me. -I gave Anna a hand massage, I felt her tense at my touch, she started to relax, I remember her tearing up a little, and she fell asleep sitting up, her head drooping and her expression peaceful. -Anna was maddening but also delightful. -She painted a fantastic landscape of Iceland with a blue mountain. -Anna loved animals. -I remember her fishing, her face lighting up with excitement with each little fish. Friends wrote about Anna: -She was a part of my life [at Holden Village in WA] and I really did care about her as exasperating as she could be at times. -Anna's voice, her shy smile & her (wobbly) handwriting. -Not only was she kind, but a real adventurer, could stand for hours in a museum, laughed at my jokes. -She was always a joy. -What a beautiful image, Anna in the kayak in the harbor of Nantucket. -A real sweetheart. -A joy to be in her presence. A nurse's aide said, "She was an independent woman." Anna was predeceased by her parents Prof. Hjalmar ("Lucky") and Rachel Lunde Lokensgard. She is survived by her brother Ole, his wife Mary Heen and their children (Anna's "little monkeys") Erik and Sonja, and her brother Michael, his wife Ann Bredahl and their children (earlier "little monkeys") Aleksandr and Niklas, his wife Amanda Bonavita and their daughter Nora (the latest "little monkey."), and among many relatives, Solveig Lokensgard Nesset, LeeAnn Lokensgard Meyer, and Ann Lokensgard Oien of the Twin Cities area. Donations in Anna's memory may be sent to Plymouth Strobel Drop-In, 1900 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55403, recognizing Camp Knutson and The Drop-In Group. Twin Cities Cremation 651-645-1233

Published on June 14, 2020