Date of Birth:
Thursday, May 30, 1940
Date of Death:
Monday, December 19, 2011
Age:
71 years old

Sigrid Caroline Caniff

A memorial service for Sigrid Caniff will be at 2:00 P.M. Friday, December 23, 2011 at the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home with Rev. Bruce Buller officiating.  Burial will follow in Elgin Cemetery.  A visitation will be held Thursday, December 22, 2011 from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home and one half hour prior to the service on Friday.

Sigrid C. Caniff, 71, passed peacefully from this life at her home in Elgin on December 19^th, after a courageous battle with cancer over the past year.

Sigrid Caroline Halverson was born on May 30, 1940 in Owatonna, MN, to Harvey and Nellie (Holbrook) Halverson.  Her family lived near West Concord and later moved to the Preston area in 1949. Sigrid graduated from Preston High School in 1958.

Sigrid was an accomplished drummer and while still in high school played in the Rochester Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Harold Cooke. She once even received a compliment from Meredith Willson.  For several years Sigrid was the choir director at the EUB Church in Preston. She played in several area dance bands while attending college, especially the Holtan Brothers Band.

Sigrid married Vernon Kraft in 1958 and they later divorced.  In 1973 she completed the Medical Secretary Program at Rochester Area VoTec and was employed in St. Petersburg, Florida for a number of years as office manager for a leading southeast area neurologist.  She later returned to Rochester and moved to Elgin in 2003.

An avid Rochester Honker’s fan since 1994, Sigrid also enjoyed baseball memorabilia, which adorned her home.

She is survived by a daughter, Sonja Kraft, of Canby, MN. Two grandchildren, Kristine (Nick) Schneider of Sioux Falls and Ryan Van Rooyen of Brookings, SD.  Three great-grandchildren, Brian, Evan and Peyton, the joys of her life.  Two brothers, Steve (Betty) Halverson of Preston and Sam (Karen) Halverson, of Preston.  Four  nephews, Brian (Karin) Halverson of Fountain, Mike (Larisa) Bestor of Mansfield, TX, Chris (Jen) Halverson of West St. Paul, and Ryan Halverson of Hoboken, NJ.

Sigrid is also survived by a special friend, Ron Krueger, of Elgin. And brother-in-law, Jack McTamney of Mesa, Arizona.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Marian Bestor McTamney, and a granddaughter, Joni Lingen.

Memorials are suggested for the Mayo Hospice Program.