Gerda Denelsbeck Bliss Obituary

Gerda Denelsbeck Bliss, age 99, of Canby, MN, passed away Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Sylvan Court Nursing Home in Canby, MN. Funeral service will be 10:30 am on Monday, June 16, 2025 at the Dawson Covenant Church, rural Dawson, MN. Burial will be in the Dawson Covenant Cemetery, rural Dawson. Visitation will be 4 – 6 pm with a Prayer Service at 6 pm on Sunday, June 15, 2025 at the Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel in Canby, MN.
Gerda Marjorie (Goplen/Denelsbeck) Bliss and her twin sister, Greta, were born at Brainerd, Minnesota, on September 21, 1925, to Ben and Frances (Lamb) Goplen. The babies were sickly; Greta died when only 17-days old.
After graduating from the Gary (South Dakota) High School in 1944, she enrolled in a Minneapolis technical school to learn to send and receive Morse code and to operate a teletype machine. Thus she acquired keyboard skills enabling her to enjoy email correspondence in her retirement. She worked as a train dispatcher clerk for the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad in Chanute, Kansas, for two years. Gerda married Gordon Denelsbeck, newly discharged from the US Navy, at the First Baptist Church of Canby on August 21, 1946.
Gordon and Gerda farmed in the Canby community raising four children and 10,000 fattened Holstein steers. They moved to their first farm in Oshkosh township, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, in February 1949. The farm was purchased with war bonds purchased by both Gordon and Gerda, Gordon's poker winnings, and supplemented by a half-interest purchased by Gordon's brother, Merton. In 1957, a larger farm was purchased in Hammer township. Gerda's role in raising all those Holstein calves was to stir powdered milk replacer into about a quarter of a million buckets of warmed water. In October 2024, at age 99 Gerda climbed the steps of a combine for her ride around her farm with her grandson/renter, watching the rivers of golden grain pour off the fields.
Gerda was a very socially active woman. Gerda belonged to a neighborhood Birthday Club and enjoyed being a "secret sister" to a neighbor woman each year. She enjoyed neighborhood Whist card clubs; she donated blood 138 times (17 1/2 gallons) until she was 95-years old. Gerda was a member of Doc's (Hustad) 1966 championship bowling team. She canvassed for Community Chest and Republican politicians. Gerda's warm hospitality was renowned. She fussed if she had "nothing in the house" to offer a visitor along with a cup of coffee.
A committed Christian, Gerda and her brother Gerald were baptized in the Methodist Episcopal Church in Motley, Minnesota, on July 1, 1928, with their grandmothers, Carrie Lamb and Sophia Goplen, serving as witnesses. Gerda dedicated her life to Christ Jesus when she was 14 years old and living in Cottonwood, Minnesota. In April 1943, she wanted to be a full member of the First Baptist Church of Canby, so she was baptized again, this time by immersion.
Eager for her children to be committed Christians, in the pre-TV era, days in the Denelsbeck home ended with readings from Egermeier's Bible Story book and the exciting Danny Orlis adventures, novels in which every challenging situation comes to a good end by applying Christian principles of living. In 1956, the Gordon Denelsbeck family joined the Dawson Covenant Church. Over the decades Gerda served her church family in many roles, including treasurer/finance secretary, youth group leader and continuing well into her 80s to bake Swedish Tea Rings for sale at the annual Lucia Fest. Gerda was the oldest member of the Dawson Covenant Church; her granddaughter is now a member.
Gerda was a superb bread baker, winning Grand Champion in the 1941 Minnesota State Fair, Blue Ribbon at the Yellow Medicine County Fair in about 1954, and the esteem of her family for decades for her feathery light Grammy buns.
Gerda was a teller at the National Citizens Bank of Canby from 1960 - 1972. She was the favorite of clients like Bill Flieder, the Canby theater proprietor who trusted her to count his large amount of cash, and Eldred Buer, a seed corn grower who highly valued her beautiful and readable penmanship.
On a vintage 1940 Remington typewriter, Gerda produced hundreds of prayer letters for her brothers-in-law, Delbert and Lyle Denelsbeck, who were missionaries in Brazil.
About 1985 Gerda and Gordon Denelsbeck were founding members of the Blue and Gold Foundation that, now 40-years later, continues to award scholarships to Canby High School graduates. Her daughter served on the board and Gerda's grandson David Vogt, is the current president of the Blue and Gold Foundation.
Gordon died shortly after celebrating 54-years of marriage; Gerda married Gilbert Bliss on February 8, 2003. On November 11, 2012, Gilbert and Gerda moved to Sylvan Place, Gerda's home for almost thirteen years. Gerda loved and was loved by the staff of Sylvan Place; she was known for speed walking throughout the hospital and clinic as well as around Lake Sylvan, a one-mile hike.
Enjoying the blessing of remarkably good health throughout her life, macular degeneration greatly diminished Gerda's vision several years ago. She could no longer read, couldn't crochet or do crossword puzzles, nor enjoy email correspondence because she couldn't see her computer monitor. But Alexa, a gift from a granddaughter, opened a new world for her: time, weather, Twins' scores, and music, like Glenn Miller's String of Pearls, were all instantly available for the asking. Impaired vision was a grievous blow but, as throughout her life, complaining was minimal. When failing health dictated that she move to Sylvan Court, her response was to say, "I guess I'm just a vagabond."
Gerda is survived by her children Carolyn (Edward) Korbel, Jim Denelsbeck, and Nancy Salmon; a son-in-law, Larry Vogt; nine grandchildren: Kristine (Korbel) Graham, Gordon Korbel, Michelle (Denelsbeck) Driessen, Jacqueline (Denelsbeck) Carter, Jesse Denelsbeck, David Vogt, Lisa (Vogt) Schliess, Valerie (Meyer) Halvorson and Keith Meyer; 17 great-grandchildren; a brother, Marvin Goplen of Canby, a sister, Lynda (Goplen) Petrie, of Cambridge, Minnesota, and sisters-in-law Ellie (Stigen) Goplen and Virginia (Hubbard) Goplen. Those preceding her in death are her parents, siblings Gerald Goplen, Lorna Johnson, and Milton Goplen; her husbands Gordon Denelsbeck and Gilbert Bliss, her daughter, Sally Vogt, daughter-in-law Patricia (Pederson) Denelsbeck, son-in-law Bob Salmon, and infant grandson, Larry Denelsbeck.
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