A Celebration of Life Service for Ardith Westergard, age 88, of Lakefield, was held at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lakefield on Sunday, March 8, at 2:00 PM, with a time of visitation and gathering for one hour prior to the service. A private family burial was held at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Lakefield.
Ardith Fern (Furrow) Westergard was born on March 20, 1937, in Otis, Colorado, to Lloyd and Thelma (Dwiggins) Furrow.
Ardie liked to tell people that she was “part gypsy” when asked about her family history and where she came from. “Gypsy” is generally defined as a group of people who are free-spirited and like to wander. Most who knew Ardie would certainly agree with this description of her. Her gypsy tendencies are what led her to Minnesota from Colorado with her first husband, Wilmer, who worked as a road builder. Her gypsy ways definitely played a role in her landing in Iowa on the farm with Lyle, her second husband. Her gypsy ways had to be what inspired her early morning singing of “Roll Out the Barrel” to her slumbering grandchildren, or the hundreds of calls to one of her many loved ones to sing “Happy Birthday” on their special day. It was, without a doubt, her gypsy ways that fueled her love of dancing, Cracker Barrel sweatshirts, and racing Toro co-workers through Windom in her Oldsmobile.
A true gypsy doesn’t wander alone, however; a gypsy needs a whole band. Ardie was always the glue and the center of hers. She loved her family more than anything, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She often reflected on how blessed she was to have her family so involved in her life.
On Sunday, March 1, 2026, Ardie passed away peacefully at her home in Lakefield.
Left to cherish her memory are her children, Monette (Jim) Berkevich, Ranell (Brett) Williams, and Keven Hage; ten grandchildren, Jamie, Jayd, Jacob, Jacey, Darmey, Chad, Hollie, Bryan, Chase, and Laura; seventeen great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild; also five siblings, Bernard Furrow, Dale Furrow, Lorna Knapp, Janice Cline, and Joyce (Gene) Larson.
Ardie was preceded in death by her husband, Lyle Westergard; parents, Lloyd and Thelma Furrow; and siblings, Norva, Milton, Darlene, and Shirley.
Blessed be the memory of our sweet, loving, gypsy leader, Ardie.
