Gerda Gustafson, nee Larsen, age 95, died Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago.

Born March 1, 1926, in Denmark, Gerda was the daughter of the late Chris and Marie Larsen. In 1930, at the age of four, she came by ship to America with her parents and siblings, Arnie, Laura, and Ingrid. Later, when her family moved to Chicago, she became a big sister to her brother, Howie. She met her husband, Edgar, at a dance. They soon fell in love and were married. Gerda was a hard worker. She worked in hospitality at the Conrad Hilton. Her greatest job, however, was becoming a loving mother to her five children. She fulfilled her dream of becoming a U.S. citizen on February 2, 1953.

Beloved mother of Carol (Len), Glenn, Rhonda (Tom), Lance, and Heidi (Gary); dear grandmother of Brad, Chris, Danielle, and the late Sheri; loving great-grandmother of Sara and Hanna; cherished great-great-grandmother of Aden; fond sister of Laura Petersen, Howard Larsen, and the late Arnold Larsen and Ingrid Grybash; dear aunt of several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her former husband, Edgar Gustafson.

Gerda was a beautiful soul, with so much love and compassion for others, including the ones with fur. She was very active in her youngest daughter’s dog grooming business. She touched numerous lives. Her kindness and love were just two attributes that will be deeply missed.

“We know that she is with the Lord in heaven because to be absent is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Memorial Gathering, Sunday, July 11, 2021, from 1 to 4 p.m., at HABEN Funeral Home & Crematory, 8057 Niles Center Rd., Skokie.

In lieu of flowers, and in honor of Gerda’s love for English Mastiffs, memorial contributions may be made to Midwest Mastiff Rescue, 491 Brevator Rd., Old Monroe, MO, 63369 (www.midwestmastiffrescue.org) or to 20th Anniversary Northeast Ohio Mastiff Picnic, 90 S. Metzger Ave., Rittman, OH, 44270 (www.mastiffpicnic.com).

Funeral info:  847.673.6111.