Douglas B. Norvold

Died: Sunday, November 24th, 2024

Funeral Service: 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 27, 2024 at Bethel Lutheran Church (1321 North Avenue) in Northfield, Minnesota

Feel free to wear your favorite Norwegian Sweater or Nordic look for the service.

Vistation: 1:00 p.m. until time of service at church

Interment: Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Pigeon Falls, Wisconsin

Douglas Berg Norvold, age 81, passed away peacefully at his home in Northfield, MN on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at sunrise, just in time for church. 

Douglas was born on May 18, 1943, to parents Melvin and Thea (Berg) Norvold of Woodville, WI. Douglas was the third of four children, and the family lived on an acreage just outside of Hersey, WI. He shared stories of trudging to Denver School through the snow which led him to a lifelong love of walking and helped to create the patient and purposeful character for which he would always be known. Douglas; step by step, one thing at a time.  

While he enjoyed friends, football (especially the Packers!), and basketball in his youth, it was his faith that formed his life first and foremost. He was inspired by his pastor at Zion Lutheran Church and when the church hosted a quartet of singers from Waldorf College in Iowa, Douglas, a senior in high school, looking for his next step, felt led to investigate that school for himself. Step by step, he got himself to Iowa where he then met the love of his life, Randvig Johnstad, sister to two of the singers in that same quartet. They walked down the aisle as a married couple in 1964 at Peace Lutheran Church in Pigeon Falls, WI; Randvig's hometown.

Douglas took the next step in his education at Augsburg College and started his career in Vocational Rehabilitation. As a counselor, he helped other people take steps toward meaningful employment, his patient and purposeful demeanor a good fit for the agency. He completed his Master's Degree in Counseling from Bemidji State and enjoyed 30 years of ups and downs in a field that he loved and provided support for their growing family.  

Douglas and Randvig were blessed with three daughters, Kjersten, Kara, and Alisa, and then moved to Hanska, MN, to a small hobby farm where walking turned to running and family life hummed with activity. Douglas loved being in the country raising a few feeder pigs and procuring a beautiful yard for which he was always proud. He and Randvig were committed to community, working tirelessly for the Syttende Mai Celebration in Hanska and attended many events in Madelia where Douglas was also on the School Board. Despite the busy work and family life, Douglas went to church every Sunday at Linden Lutheran in Hanska; his walk with his Savior never missing a beat.

As Douglas retired, they moved back to Woodville. They travelled together and shared many new experiences; but nothing brought Douglas more joy than becoming "Grandpa". He scheduled his life around baseball games, piano recitals, and birthday parties. He and Randvig moved to Northfield, MN, to be closer to the action. He bundled up for Friday night football games, became a soccer fan, and a friend of the theater. He spent countless hours decorating for Christmas creating a magical world, always with his grandkids in mind.  

As life slowed down, he kept track of everyone by phone, sometimes calling just to say, "I love you". He continued to express his love despite his difficult walk with cancer in a powerful testament to his faith. His dedication to his family was evident as he was surrounded by his loved ones in taking his last steps on this earth and his first steps into his eternal home.  

He is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Randvig of Northfield; daughters, Kjersten (Mark) Dysthe of Savage, MN and Kara (Jon) Millerhagen of Northfield; son-in-law, Tom Leonard of Northfield; grandchildren, Matthew, Josh, Sarah, John Berg, Anna, Isaac, Caleb and Rachel; siblings, Janis Helgeson of Woodville, Telford (Betty) Norvold of Northfield, and Sharon (Jesse) St Clair of Portage, WI; many other family members and friends.

Douglas was greeted in heaven by his parents and his beloved daughter, Alisa Jo Leonard.

Blessed be the memory of Douglas Berg Norvold.