Jerrian Barsness, age 89 of Grand Rapids, Minnesota died Saturday, June 20, 2026 at her daughter's home surrounded by her family.

Jerrian was born on August 14, 1936, the daughter of Gerald and Jeanne (DeMars) Schrunk. She grew up and lived in Itasca County. She graduated from Grand Rapids High School and Itasca Junior College in Coleraine. She achieved her bachelor's degree in education from Bemidji State University. She taught in the Deer River School District as a first-grade teacher for 18 years, retiring in 1980. She and her husband, Earl, owned and operated the Dairy King Drive-In on McKinney Lake Road for 6 years. For several years, Jerrian ran a dried-flower and silk-flower shop in her basement until 1986. Then she went to work at her brother Jeff's Northland Off Road shop. Her husband, Earl, passed away in 1997. She remarried in 2018 to Ronald L. Holmes, who passed away in 2023.

Jerrian sang in the Presbyterian Church choir for 66 years. She also sang in the Praise Band for several years, was in a Bowling league for several years, and volunteered with the Threshold Choir and Hospice. She loved to dance with her friends on Friday and Saturday nights at the Eagles Club. Jerrian's hobbies and interests were crocheting, knitting, reading, genealogy, singing, bowling, cooking, painting, and sketching. She loved collecting and displaying her ancestors' treasures, as well as things she had collected along the way. Books, old and new, were very important to her. She saved them all. Like her music, the books were eclectic. Jerrian had carried a love for all kinds of music throughout life.

Jerrian is preceded in death by her parents, Gerald (Jerry) and Jeanne Schrunk; her son, Timothy Barsness; her grandson, Andrew Jonathan Hughes; her husband of 44 years, Earl Barsness; her second husband, Ronald Holmes; her sister, Jennith Schmidt; and her daughter-in-law, Sherry (Castle) Barsness.

She leaves behind 2 children: Jeen Ruff (Duane) and Michael Barsness (Cara); daughter-in-law Carol Barsness; and 7 grandchildren: Jennifer Procopio (Mike), Rachel Hughes, Joshua Barsness (Carrie), Jacob Barsness (Becky), Tina Ruff Osbahr, Faith Ruff, and Tammy Miller. 16 great-grandchildren: Joey and Anna Procopio, Cole Wilson; Matthew and Lydia Hahn and Emilee, and BreeAnn Selmser; Lauren and Ryan Barsness; Jada and Justin Barsness; Jack and Nathan Osbahr; Kaleb, Jordan, and Colton Miller; great-great-grandchildren: Wyatt Miller and Lilah Ross. Her siblings: Jeanne Milliken, Julaine Marth, and Jeffri (Sue) Schrunk.

Jerrian had many relatives and friends whom she loved as well, including Myrna, Suzi, the church choir at the Community Presbyterian Church she sang in, especially her fellow Sopranos, the director, Mary Jo, praise band members and their director, Janice, and the organist, Darcy, Pastor Kim, the friends she met while living at Lakeshore Place Apartments, and her Threshold choir members. She also loved going to her class reunions and seeing her classmates from High school, every year since their 50th, she didn't miss one.

You cannot go about explaining Jerrian without also mentioning her quick wit and strong will. If she had a vision of something she wanted, she had a fierce determination to achieve it despite any obstacles that might lie ahead. Jerrian had a thirst for knowledge. She loved learning about history, cultures around the world, and everything. She loved to share the knowledge she had accumulated over the years from trips abroad, magazines, and books she had read with her family and friends. This is merely just one example of the giving person she was. Every person who entered her house was welcomed as if they were her own relative, truly creating a sense of belonging. She will be greatly missed, and her memory will live on.

A visitation will be held from 6 PM -8 PM Tuesday, June 30th at Rowe Funeral Home in Grand Rapids, MN. A funeral service for Jerrian will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, July1st, at Community Presbyterian Church, Grand Rapids, MN.  Interment Harris Cemetery.