On Dec. 12, 2008 at exactly 11:50 p.m., encircled by family and love, celebrating her life, Erna Hilma Sawyer 89, peacefully departed on Eternity Leave to join her beloved husband Bud who left us on March 31, 2004, mother Laura 1929, father Chris 1961, and younger sister Christy Rathjen 1995, lifelong best friends Becky, Jackie, Virginia, Dorothy, Irene and Olga.

Born in Ord, Nebraska on April 26, 1919 to Danish immigrants Hans Christian and Laura Kristine (Jensen Ost) Larsen.

She worked hard through grade school to learn English and graduated from Ord High School in 1938 having won second place in the national bookkeeping contest conducted throughout the United States by “Business Education World” magazine. Only eight pupils in the US were given a Superior Merit rating as was Miss Erna Larsen.

After graduation she worked in a café in Grand Island, Nebraska where she met her future husband (Bud) James Harold Sawyer. They were married in Bellingham, WA October 4, 1942. In 1946 they moved to Darrington were they continued to make their home until March 2004, at which time Bud moved into an Adult Family Home and Erna moved into Rosecreek Apts in Arlington to be near him.

When her health started to decline Erna moved into Arlington’s Adeline Inn on the River Adult Family Home on December 13, 2006 into the loving care of Dee, Kevin, Teresa & Kayci where she remained until April 2008 when she returned to her beloved Darrington to reside at Meadow Mountain Adult Family Home under the loving care of Crissy, Dustin, Shelly and Rachael.

She was a life member of the Episcopal Church of Transfiguration and served many years on the alter guild with Dorothy Howard and Alice Barnhart.

She was a loving and caring mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.

She possessed a great sense of humor and was always the life of the party!

Erna loved to play cards and do word search puzzles. She loved to read which included the daily newspaper from cover to cover. She was an avid Mariners fan and until recently knew all the players and years of stats.

She will be sorely missed by all including many new found friends in the adult family homes.

Survived by older sister Carla Barnhart of Mukilteo, first cousins Inger & Tova of Denmark, children Judy and Harold Wagner of Darrington, James E and Susie Sawyer of Arlington, (Pete) Gene and June Sawyer of Tumwater/Yuma, Sally and Larry Jelvik of Kampala, Uganda East Africa, (Irma) Jenny and Ken Bosket of Arlington, 21 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren and 7 great-great grandchildren, special daughter Sayra Walter Hill, special son Rusty Heil and numerous nieces and nephews.

There will be a celebration of Erna’s life at 1:00 pm Saturday January 17, 2009 at the Darrington Community Center followed by a dinner prepared by the caring community.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to Church of Transfiguration, PO Box 55, Darrington, WA 98241 or the Darrington Funeral Dinners Assoc, PO Box 608, Darrington, WA 98241.