Erma Arvila Osthus, 98, formerly of Centerville, SD, passed away Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at Pioneer Memorial Home in Viborg, SD.  Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, November 17, 2019 at Scandia Lutheran Church in Centerville, SD.  Visitation will begin 1 hour prior to services.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Scandia Lutheran Church or to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Erma Peterson was born May 12, 1921 to Elmer and Ellen Sophia (Dahl) Peterson in Roberts County, SD. She grew up on a farm near Sisseton with her four sisters and two brothers, and attended Enterprise school. She was equally fluent in Norwegian and English.

She met Thorvald Osthus and they married on October 23, 1942.  They briefly lived in Sharon, PA where Thor was stationed in the United States Army during World War II.   Erma returned to Sisseton while Thor served overseas.  After the war, they moved to the Centerville area where they farmed for 20 years and raised their five children, Ellen, Ron, Bob, Harlan and Colleen. In 1966, they left farming life and moved into Centerville.

Throughout the years, Thor and Erma were members of Scandia Lutheran Church where Erma was active in Ladies' Aid and Circle.  She lived out her faith in serving others.  She was employed part-time in the Centerville School from 1966-1971 and later worked 30 years at Fireball Industries.  She retired in 2001 at the age of 80.

One of her best memories was a long-awaited trip to Norway with Thor in 1976 where they visited with many relatives and toured the various areas where three of their parents grew up.  Thor passed away in January of 1978.  Following his death, Erma traveled with family to places such as Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, DC, England and the Grand Canyon, as well as other areas in the United States and Canada where family members resided.  After many years of living in Centerville, Erma has resided at Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home in Viborg.

Erma is survived by her children, Ellen Brody, Chesterfield, MO, Ron (Valerie Pietra Franco) Osthus, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Bob (Cheryl) Osthus, Eden Prairie, MN, Harlan Osthus, Jefferson, SD and Colleen (David) Raye, Ft. Mitchell, KY; five grandchildren, Donna Olson, Warrenton, MO, Michael Olson, St. Louis, MO, Peter (Carolina Osthus-Topet) Osthus, Ashburn, VA, Angela (Leif) Bjornson, Minneapolis, MN and Jonathan Osthus, Minneapolis, MN; two great-grandchildren, Elliot and Lucy Bjornson; and her sister, Alda (Lyle) Twite, Cloquet, MN.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thorvald Osthus; her parents, Elmer and Ellen Sophia Peterson; her brothers, Justin (Agnes) Peterson and Marvin (Audrey) Peterson; sisters, Erma Sedell Peterson, Verna Bladow, Myrtle (Clayton) Risdall, and Margaret (Ray) Hillestad; and her son-in-law, Darryl Brody.