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Ebersviller enjoyed work with FF council
Published 11:07am Tuesday, March 20, 2012Barbara “Bobbie” Ebersviller, 86, who died Saturday, March 17, is remembered for her work as a member of the Fergus Falls City Council. She was elected from the Third Ward in 1974 and served as a member of the city council from 1975 to 1978.
“Bobbie was an excellent member of the (city) council,” said former council member and former Mayor Russ Anderson. “She provided stability on the council and was an excellent mentor to new council members.”
It was in the 1970s when Fergus Falls had its first female mayor, Barbara Donoho. The mayor and Ebersviller worked alongside each other on many city projects. Donoho was followed in office, as mayor, by Mel Olson.
The mid-1970s was a time of change in Fergus Falls. Plans were in the works for development of WestRidge Mall. The new Fergus Falls Industrial Park, on the north side of town, had only four industries. They included Braun Machine Tool and Manufacturing, Duenow Trucking Garage, Coca-Cola Bottling and M&R Sign Company.
Ebersviller and other city council members then, as now, faced the continuing issues of water, sewer and paving. In 1976 the city sought federal assistance, through the Housing and Urban Development Department, for money to complete projects along Sunset Drive and College Street, on the east side of town near the YMCA that opened in 1972.
The tax base was far different in the 1970s, with the cheese plant and flour mill still in operation. In 1976, during Ebersviller’s second year on the city council, ConAgra flour was shipped out east in 100-pound bags, via rail, to bakeries.
Ebersviller and other council members took pride in Fergus Falls maintaining 22 parks covering over 600 acres. Those parks provided, and continue to provide, many opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Ebersviller was born in Albert Lea on Feb. 21, 1926. She married Rodney S. Ebersviller on March 19, 1948. They lived in Fergus Falls and Rothsay, where her husband was in the farm implement business.
“Bobbie had a very good rapport with the business community,” said Anderson who had a combined 22 years of service as council member and mayor. “She was very well respected as a public figure, something that’s not always easy to attain.”
Ebersviller is survived by her husband, Rodney; four children; six grandsons; three great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter.
The funeral was today (Tuesday) at First Lutheran Church, Fergus Falls. Burial is at Oak Grove Cemetery, Fergus Falls.
Memorials are preferred to Campfire USA or Courage Center.
