Zola (ERICKSON) Running, 98, of Decorah, died Friday, June 7, 2013, at the Aase Haugen Home in Decorah. Out of respect for her wishes, there are no final services. Her cremains will be attended to by her family with love, reverence and celebration of a life well-lived. Her years, 1915-2013, will be marked at Phelps Cemetery in Decorah, next to her husband. Zola was a beautiful, intelligent, sincerely nice and genuinely good person. We will miss her very much.

Zola Iona Erickson was born March 11, 1915, in Hesper Township. She attended school in Mabel, Minn., and after completing high school, enrolled in and graduated from Luther College, Decorah, with the very first class of women in 1937.

She married Decorah native, John Edward Running ’36, on Feb. 23, 1941, in “the little church around the corner” in New York City.

She taught elementary school in Harcourt, Hartford, Conn., and Chicago. She completed her teaching career in Decorah, as a fifth grade teacher at the Thomas Roberts Elementary School. John Running owned and operated the Town and Country gift and jewelry store.

She is survived by her children: Lynn (Running) Steinke ’65, (Thomas), San Diego, Calif.; Cheryl (Running) Vigna ’66, (Joseph), Delafield, Wis. and Craig Running ‘68, Decorah. Also surviving are her grandchildren: Tracee Edwards, Kristen Steinke-Combe, Jason Vigna, Dana Vigna, Zachary Vigna, Elyse (RUNNING) Schnitzler ’02, and Jordan Running; great-grandchildren: Bailey Muculinich, Elora Schnitzler, Toby Schnitzler and Savannah Edwards. She has one surviving sister, Eloise (ERICKSON) Klinker ’48, (Ralph).

Preceding her in death were her husband, John Edward Running ‘36; mother, Geneva Rolfshus Erickson; father, Zachariah Erickson, and sister, Doris (Erickson) Buckneberg ’35, (Adolph Buckneberg ‘34).