Geneva Alma (Berquam) Tweeten

Geneva Alma Berquam Tweeten passed away on August 8, 2026, surrounded by those who loved her.  Geneva was born during the height of the Great Depression on November 6, 1932, in a log cabin built by her parents in Black Hammer Township near Spring Grove, Minnesota. She attended a one-room country school before continuing her education at Spring Grove Public School.

On July 30, 1949, Geneva married the love of her life, Morris Truman Tweeten. Together they established their home on the family farm in Spring Grove Township.  While Morris spent much of his career on the road as a truck driver, Geneva became the steward of the farm. She built and cared for a respected herd of registered dairy cattle before later transitioning to beef cattle.

Farming gave her the opportunity to be home with her children. She was there to wave goodbye as her children left for school each morning and to welcome them home every afternoon. Between those moments she worked tirelessly in the fields, the barn, and the home, creating a life grounded in love, stability, and unwavering devotion. Motherhood was never simply one responsibility among many; it was the vocation she cherished above all others.

Geneva dedicated her life to nurturing her children and sharing experiences that enriched their lives. Through her leadership in community organizations including 4-H, Brownies, and Girl Scouts, she helped create opportunities for her own children and many others to develop confidence, curiosity, responsibility, and lifelong friendships.

The same care with which Geneva cultivated the land and her family, she also devoted to her faith. A lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove, she faithfully served her congregation through Trinity Lutheran Church Women (TLCW), providing leadership both within her local congregation and throughout the regional organization.

Geneva possessed a profound appreciation for the stories that shaped families and communities. Deeply proud of her Norwegian heritage, she organized a course through Spring Grove Community Education that brought neighbors together month after month to share memories of growing up in southeastern Minnesota’s Norwegian community.

Her passion for genealogy became a lifelong pursuit. Long before the convenience of online databases, Geneva traveled throughout the Midwest, visiting libraries, colleges, archives, courthouses, and historical societies, patiently piecing together the immigration stories of both the Berquam and Tweeten families. Years of careful research, correspondence, and documentation resulted in an exceptionally well-documented family history – an enduring gift that will continue connecting future generations to their Norwegian roots.

Geneva generously shared that knowledge with others. As a volunteer guide for Vesterheim in Decorah, Iowa, she introduced countless visitors to the rich traditions of Norwegian-American life. She traveled throughout the region presenting programs on Norwegian history, immigration, and culture, helping others better understand the heritage that shaped southeastern Minnesota. As a devoted member of Sons of Norway, she helped keep Norwegian traditions alive through volunteer service, organizing community trips, and establishing a monthly book club that reflected her lifelong love of reading, learning, and history.

Those who knew Geneva will remember her not only for what she accomplished but for who she was – a woman of quiet strength, unwavering faith, boundless curiosity, uncanny wit, extraordinary kindness, and steadfast devotion. Her life reminds us that the richest harvests are measured not in bushels or accomplishments but in lives nurtured, stories preserved, and love faithfully given.

Geneva was preceded in death by her beloved husband Morris Truman Tweeten, her parents Bernt and Ella (Treangen) Berquam, her daughters Jennifer (Tweeten) Garness and Jaclyn (Tweeten) Morken; and her sisters, Emma (Berquam) Landsom, Elvina (Berquam) Bentley and Lillian (Berquam) Folstad.

She is lovingly survived by her children Marsha (Tweeten) Wolfgram, Michael Tweeten and his wife, Donna (Wagner) Tweeten, and Taresa Tweeten; her cherished grandchildren: Jessica Wolfgram, Amy (Garness) Lee, Matthew Garness, Nathan Morken, Leah Morken, Gina Morken, Timothy Morken, Tracy Tweeten-Lind, Jaclyn Tweeten-Eberth, and Cole Melbostad; together with many beloved great-grandchildren, extended family members, dear friends, and all whose lives were enriched by her kindness, wisdom, and generous spirit.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Trinity Lutheran Church, in Spring Grove, Minnesota, at 1 p.m., with Pastor Lane Zaffke officiating. Burial will be in the Trinity Lutheran church cemetery after the ceremony. Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church.