Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 271388
Title: Dora Rolfstad
Date: 8/11/1921-12/27/2024
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 8/11/1921
Summary: Heaven has gained an angel as our mother, Dora E. Rolfstad, passed from this life on earth to her heavenly home on December 27, 2024. Her funeral was held December 31, 2024, at the Wilmington Lutheran Church, Arnegard, ND, with Pastor Garrett Gudmunsen officiating. Born on August 11, 1921, to Martin and Sophia (Sampson) Jacobson in Epping ND, Dora was the 10th of 11 children, the baby girl, who became an aunt at 2 years old. Dora was raised and graduated in Epping, then took off to stay with her sister in Seattle and become a “rosie riveter.” But she had met this boy, Ervin Rolfstad, at one of the dances her brothers had taken her to in Epping and he decided he couldn’t live without her and went to Seattle and proposed. She said yes, and they were married in Missoula, MT, on their way home to the family farm northeast of Williston. There they lived and raised their six children, Larry, Barbara, Dyanne, Theresa, Martin, and Bekki, from then until 1977 when they retired from farming and Erv built a house for Mom. They lived there until Erv’s passing in 1990. Dora was a faithful member of First Lutheran Church, worked tirelessly as a farm wife, raised a huge garden every summer, was known as a very good cook, fed custom combiners and road construction crews, was a member of Muddy Valley Homemakers, was a 4-H leader while all of her children were in 4-H, worked election boards, and anything else asked of her. After ‘retiring’ Dora moved into Williston and volunteered for Red Cross blood drives, worked as a bailiff for Williams County District Court where she spoiled jurors with her home baked goodies until she was 92, and volunteered at the Senior Center where she loved helping all the ‘old people’. After Dora fell in 2018 and broke her pelvis she was in swing bed, and then moved to Good Shepherd Home in Watford City where they became a part of her extended family until her passing on December 27, 2024. Surviving Dora are her three daughters, Dyanne Johnsrud, Roundup, MT, Theresa Torgerson, Beulah, ND, and Bekki (Harold) Larson, Arnegard, ND; son-in-law, Dave Stewart, Virginia, MN; 11 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Delores Jacobson; many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death are her parents; husband, Ervin; sons, Martin and Larry; daughter, Barbara Stewart; four sons-in-law, Jeff Haugen, David Barkie, Alvin Johnsrud, and Howard Torgerson; daughter-in-law, Linda; all 10 siblings; and numerous in-laws and extended family. Dora left footprints on the hearts of so many and now will use her many talents in heaven, leaving a hole in so many of our hearts here on earth, until we meet again.
Red ID: FND_I_78879 Image ID: 518551 Image Notes: FND001 271388

Collection: FND001 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Date: -

Summary: The North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program is sponsored by the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association. The life stories of deceased North Dakotans are featured in an archvied collection. Current partners in the project are Eastgate Funeral & Cremation Services, Bismarck Evans Funeral Homes, Carrington and New Rockford Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home, Williston Fulkerson Funeral Home, Tioga Fulkerson Funeral Home, Watford City Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home, Williston Nero Funeral Home, Bottineau Parkway Funeral Service, Bismarck Springan Stevenson Funeral Home, Stanley Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson These funeral homes provide recent obituaries to the Foundation, where staff and volunteers format, edit and archive each memorial. The memorials are posted, and copies are sent to the family for their input and approval. The listing currently features more than 13,000 memorials, and is constantly updated as new memorials and histories are received.

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