H. Marie McNall Jaastad, 84, of Palm Desert, California and formerly of Eau Claire passed away on Tuesday, November 6, 2007, at Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, CA.\r\nMarie was born in Gaylord, Kansas, on May 8, 1923, the daughter of Webster and Bertha Heide McNall. In 1936 the family moved to Janesville, Wisconsin, where she graduated from Janesville High School in 1941. During World War II she attended classes at UW-Madison and worked at Ray-o-Vac. Soon after V-E Day, she signed up for a tour of duty with the U.S. Overseas Liquidation Agency and served for two years in Rome, Italy. Upon returning to Wisconsin in 1947, she joined five other friends in a two-car caravan that drove from Madison, Wisconsin, to Santiago, Chile on the Pan-American Highway, a journey that required nearly a year to complete.\r\nShe returned to Madison and was united in marriage to Henry L. Jaastad there on September 17, 1949. They owned and operated Branstad Drug Company in Eau Claire. After Henry's death in an auto accident in February, 1965, Marie managed the stores, then sold them in 1980 and moved to Palm Desert, CA where she spent the remainder of her life.\r\nWhile in Eau Claire, Marie was an active member of First Congregational Church, Eau Claire, where she taught Sunday School. She was a member of the Eau Claire Service League, Eau Claire Country Club, and the Eau Claire YMCA.\r\nMarie was admired for her beauty and her sense of style and fashion. She was a devoted and loving mother and grand-mother, and a wonderful cook. She was an accomplished seamstress and made clothes for herself and her family. She was active in golf and tennis well into her later years. She had an independent spirit and a lively interest in current events, especially politics, professional football, and alternative medicine. \r\nShe is survived by her daughter, Randine (Dr. Christopher) Larson of Sheboygan; one brother, Lester McNall of La Habra, CA; four grandchildren, Dr. Todd (Dr. Liz Zurich) Larson, Andrew Larson, Erika Larson, and Heide (Chris Borkowski) Larson; and by numerous nieces and nephews.\r\nMarie was preceded in death by her husband, Henry; three brothers, Ambrose, Webb and Richard McNall; and five sisters, Irene Lee, Lula Van Amburg, Margaret Nelson Castle, Frances Neumann Sabo, and Dorothy McNall.\r\nFuneral services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, November 12, 2007, at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 310 Broadway St., Eau Claire, WI with the Rev. Dr. Mark X. Pirazzini and Rev. Julia Hollister officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire. Visitation will be one hour prior to services Monday at the church. Lunch will be served at the church following the service. Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral Home is serving the family.\r\nFamily requests memorials be directed to Meals on Wheels, 712 Riverfront Rd., Sheboygan, WI 53081.\r\n

Service Information