Jean Ann Eiken of Mabel, Minnesota passed away peacefully at the age of 88 on February 29, 2024 at the Fountain View Village Memory Care facility in Fountain Hills, Arizona with her loving daughters by her side.
Jean was born on October 4, 1935 to Oden and Helen (Woodle) Rasmussen in Canton, Minnesota along with her twin sister JoAnn. She graduated from Mabel High School in 1953.
She was united in marriage to Harlan Eiken on March 12,1954. Harlan and Jean raised four children, Steve, Becky, Stacy and Tye.
They raised turkeys near Rochester and then moved to the San Fernando Valley in California to manage a turkey farm from 1960 – 1962. They then moved to Prosper, Minnesota in 1962.
Jean was employed at Green Lea Manor nursing home for 27 years. In 1970 they moved to the Wallace Eiken farm on Irish Ridge north of Mabel dividing her time between the nursing home, raising her family and farming activities.
Jean was an active member of the Mabel United Methodist Church. She loved to bake. Specialties were lefsa, bars, strawberry jam, homemade bread and cowboy cookies. She also enjoyed gardening. Her yard looked like a park. She loved quilting as well.
She enjoyed volunteering and visiting family and friends. She had special friends that she loved to shop with or just visit. She loved taking care of her grandchildren, great grandchildren and her husband, Harlan, whom she referred to as Dad. Jean packed the best lunches for her farm family during planting and harvest season.
Harlan and Jean loved to spend a portion of their winters in Fountain Hills, Arizona visiting their daughters. Jean was always helping out where needed during their stay due to her kind heart and energy.
Jean moved to Fountain Hills in September, 2022 to be close to her daughters, living with Becky and her son-in-law, Kelly, for 11 months.
Jean is survived by three of her children, Steve (Diane) of Prosper, MN; Becky Dotzler (Kelly) of Fountain Hills, AZ, Stacy Gridley of Fountain Hills, AZ; daughter-in-law Marilynn Eiken of Mabel, MN; eleven grandchildren Ben (Nicky), Amy (James), Morgan, Ryan (Rachel), Jordan (Ryan), Joshua, Dustin (Bronwyn) Kiley, Zach, Sloan (Colin) and Slade; and 13 great grandchildren Ava, Ike, Mya, Kale, Hailee, Blake, Parker, Ryer, Becks, Elliot, Kayden, Everly and Winslow.
Jean was preceded in death by her husband Harlan, son Tye, son-in-law Mark Gridley, brother Warren, sister-in-law Ormah, twin sister JoAnn Palieri and brother-in-law Gerry Eiken.
Funeral service will be 11 a.m., Saturday, March 16 at the Mabel United Methodist Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church. Burial will follow in the Mabel Public Cemetery.
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