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- Floral Web Store Is Not Available - Martha Ann Bjornson passed away peacefully on January 22, 2026, at the age of 85. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wahkon, MN, with Father Jerry Schik, osc, officiating. A Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to Mass at Church. Arrangements are with the LeMieur Funeral Home in Onamia. On April 4th, 1940, Martha was born on the family farm in the Pembina Coulee near Walhalla, North Dakota, during a springtime blizzard. Her father, Hugh, had to harness the horses and sleigh to fetch the doctor from town. There she spent her early years, attending a one-room schoolhouse and falling in love with nature, gardening, crafting, and simple living. Her happiest memories were of laying in the prairie fields and listening to the sounds of nature. When Martha was 17, the family moved to a farm outside of Isle, MN. Martha would spend most of her life living in the southern Mille Lacs Lake area. At 21, she met and married Lester Tienter. Their first adventure was living for a year in a lumber camp at Sawbill Landing in northern MN. They resettled and lived for a number of years near Lester’s family, in the Spring Valley, MN area. Martha and Lester eventually purchased a farm in Onamia and moved north. There, they milked cows and farmed for the next 8 years. Martha maintained a large garden and canned much food for the winters. In 1977, she divorced, purchased a home in Onamia, and was manager of the Twins restaurant. In 1979, Martha moved with her children to Ashville, AL. There she worked for the Vollrath Refrigeration Company for several years as a forklift driver before transferring to River Falls, WI. She eventually resettled back to Wahkon and managed the Onamia Senior Dining Program for many years. Once Martha “Empty Nested”, she bought a plot of land south of Wahkon, moved a cabin onto it, and for 8 years lived in her “cabin in the woods”. There she communed with nature, the raccoons, squirrels, birds, and even the occasional black bear. She spent her spare time painting and crafting. She always had a project or two she was enthusiastically working on. Martha was excited to finally reach full retirement age so she could draw Social Security and open a gift shop. She moved into Wahkon, where she owned and operated Painted Porch Gift Shop, then expanded by opening Hugh Ann's Gifts on Main Street, Wahkon. Retiring from the Gift Shops, she finished her career working part-time as a lunch lady at the Onamia School and was very active in the local Farmer’s market, keeping the local community happy with her baking and canning. In retirement, Martha built herself a “Tiny House” in Onamia, which she was extremely proud of. There she lived happy and independent for the last 8 years of her life. Martha was a talented artist whose skills included cooking, baking, painting, crafting, quilting, decorating, and writing. She was deeply connected to nature and loved the woods. She had an extensive knowledge of wild plants and herbs and loved birds and woodland creatures. Martha was a fierce friend, extremely intelligent, and decidedly independent. She was full of sarcastic humor and loved to debate and have lively conversations. Her home was a haven for friends, family, neighbors, and pets. Martha is survived by her 4 children: Donald Tienter (Maria), Lana Tolbert, Dean Tienter (Vilma), and Raquel Tienter; her siblings, Thomasien Hodgson, Gloria Iverson (LeRoy), Robert Bjornson (Norma), Viola Wensman, Bjorn Bjornson (Barb), Dale Bjornson (Christine), Ronda Bjornson; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Martha was preceded in death by her parents, Hugh and Anne Bjornson (Kram); daughter, LaDean Tienter; and brothers, Thomas Bjornson and Jacob Bjornson.

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Martha Bjornson

April 4, 1940 - January 22, 2026