Muriel (Deilke) Nestrud

Muriel (Deilke) Nestrud, 95, died peacefully on Thursday, November 19, 2020, at the Deerfield Gables Care Center in New Richmond, WI.

The daughter of Philip and Ruth McNamara, Muriel was born on Sept. 28, 1925, in St. Paul, MN. She grew up in North St. Paul, graduated from North High in 1943, and worked as a proofreader at West Publishing Company in St. Paul.  In 1946, she married Ted Deilke and together they had four children. They bought a home in North St. Paul and spent summers at their cabin on Lake Pokegama near Pine City. In 1960, they purchased a bowling alley in Webster, SD. After 11 good years in Webster, they purchased a home in Stillwater and returned to Minnesota. Muriel also returned to what was ultimately a 20-year career at West Publishing. At 58, she was widowed. Six years later, Leonard Nestrud came into her life and she said yes to what became a wonderful 26-year marriage.

Muriel was an avid sports fan, a trait inherited from her dad. When the Twins won the World Series in 1987, Muriel proclaimed it was the best day of her life! Len’s love of sports was equal to hers. They enjoyed many years as Twins season ticket holders, riding the light rail to games. Family and friends pulled off a surprise celebration for her 88th birthday at Target Field, getting her name on the jumbotron, and going crazy with the crowd when the Kiss Cam zeroed in on her and Len!

Muriel was vivacious. An energetic mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she was the beloved leader of the pack. She was the friend everyone cherished, the lady who lit up the room, the person who spread joy and did random acts of kindness; she always corresponded. She was spontaneously playful, with endless funny stories and an infectious laugh. She loved a good prank and was always a good sport. She hosted summer barbeques and holiday parties for friends and family; she knitted dozens of Christmas stockings; she made the best rosettes; she instigated baby quilts and retirement books for colleagues; she belonged to a church circle; she loved to sing and dance; she recited The Schooner Hesperus; she played hand and foot; she rode rollercoasters and did day-after-Thanksgiving shopping marathons well into her 80s; she did the ice bucket challenge; she protested outside the White House; she helped save the carousel; she went coast to coast on annual road trips; she loved adventures and impromptu invitations — including one to see the ice palace in the middle of the night in frigid below-zero temperatures; she’d eat hot and spicy ethnic food; she TP’d houses; she helped fund a church; she was the #1 cheerleader for every grandchild’s hockey game, ball game, ice show, dance recital, or concert. She lived life nonstop.

Muriel described the feeling of being born with an inner “joy bubble” that constantly made her feel happy.  She said that the worst thing she could imagine was going to sleep at night knowing she had said or done anything that day that hurt anyone’s feelings. She was the apple of her father’s eye. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he would lovingly beam at her and say, “What a wow!” triggering a nickname that lasted for a lifetime: “Wow”. And as everyone who knew her knew, a Wow is what she was.

Muriel was preceded in death by her husbands, Ted Deilke and Leonard Nestrud; son, Ted Deilke; and brothers, Philip (Donna) and Jim McNamara. Survived by children, Bonnie (Joel) Peterson, Wayne (Joyce) Deilke, and Patty (Randy) Elovich; daughter-in-law, Sharon Deilke; step-children, Terri (Randy) Boatman and Dan (Mary Jo) Nestrud; grandchildren, Candi (Tony), Heather (Mike), Troy, Clint (Kelly), Kevin (Cassie), Matt (Rocky), Cassie (Eric), Zee (Kevin) and Adam; step-grandchildren, Cory, Molly, Michelle, Abbie (Bryan), Ben, Allison, Megan (Jarett), and Carlee; 19 great-grandchildren; plus many beloved friends and relatives.

In lieu of flowers, please commit a random act of kindness or generosity in your community in memory of Muriel’s kind and loving spirit.

Funeral Service Wednesday, November 25 at 11:00 AM at BRADSHAW CELEBRATION OF LIFE CENTER (2800 Curve Crest Boulevard) with interment to follow at Evergreen Memorial Gardens. Respecting the current Covid-19 guidelines, attendance is limited; a livestream can be found on the Bradshaw website to encourage participation to everyone’s personal level of comfort.