Violet "Vi" Fern

Violet C. “Vi” Fern, age 93 of Melrose, passed away on Friday, May 27, 2022 at the CentraCare Care Center in Long Prairie, Minnesota.

A prayer service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4 at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Melrose.

Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

Violet Caroline Vos was born April 15, 1929 in St. Francis, Minnesota to Conrad and Mary (Rakotz) Vos and grew up in Holdingford. After working at the Melrose Hotel, she met and married Richard “Dick” Fern and resided in Melrose. She was a seamstress and also worked with Dick on their reupholstery business in their home. Later she worked at Fingerhut and at Jennie-O in Melrose, but was glad to retire when her grandchildren came along, which happened to be all boys. After living in Avon, she spent her last few years in Long Prairie at the CentraCare Care Center. Vi enjoyed sewing, drawing, and puzzle books.

Survivors include her children, Alice (Ron) Schauer of Gilroy, California, Karen (Pat) Pfau of Freeport, and Nancy (Steve) Salzl of Avon; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; brother, Arnold Vos; and sister, Alice Ripka.

Violet was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Fern on February 27, 1986; parents; and brothers, Vernon, Jerome, and Gilbert Vos.

A special thank you to the wonderful people who took care of our mother at the CentraCare Care Center in Long Prairie.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the CentraCare Care Center in Long Prairie.