Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 272170
Title: Bonnie L. Ross
Date: 8/19/1941-5/7/2026
Inscription/Marks: 8/19/1941
Summary: Bonnie Ross passed away on May 7, 2026, at St. Luke’s Nursing Home in Dickinson, ND. Her funeral service was held May 22, 2026, at 11:00 am at the Ray Lutheran Church in Ray, ND. Burial was in the Sunset Rest Cemetery in Ray, ND. Bonnie Lea was born on August 19, 1941, to Gerald and Thelma (Ramberg) Strommen in Waterloo, IA, where he was stationed in the service. Later, as a 6th grader she was adopted by her dad, Luverne Olson, who loved and raised her and her sister, Linda, who was born on her birthday two years later, as his own. Bonnie graduated valedictorian from Milton High School in 1959. From what we hear, she was very social in high school and quite the dancer. She attended 10 proms throughout her four years and even won a local dance contest in North Dakota and was sent to Minneapolis to compete at the next level. She was raised in Milton, a small town with lots of activity. She attended many dances in Milton and Mountain throughout her youth. She loved to dance, and she said her parents, Luverne and Thelma, did too. Bonnie attended Mayville State College after high school and after two years earned her standard teaching degree. While at a college social she met Jim Granberg. She would take a teaching job in his hometown of Northwood where she taught for eight years. Jim and Bonnie married in August of 1963. They would eventually return to Mayville State where they both graduated with 4-year teaching degrees. Jim and Bonnie were blessed with three children: Rendi Jo, Reed James and Lisa Jean. Besides Northwood, Bonnie taught school at Central Valley and Aneta and she also worked at Melroe while living in Cooperstown. She eventually settled in Ray, which was home, and where she taught and lived for many years. Bonnie married Richard (Dick) Ross in February of 1982 and was blessed with two more children, Scott and Michelle. Blended families aren’t easy, but they made it work. Dick and Bonnie had many happy years together and were very proud of all their children and grandchildren. Bonnie was a teacher at heart and truly enjoyed sharing her love of reading. She loved reading books to her students when they came to the library and recite the poem Little Orphan Annie in classrooms every Halloween. She also loved suntanning, dancing, the color red, attending the Hostfest in Minot, going on walks, wintering in Arizona where she was able to line dance and meet lots of new friends, and visiting. Bonnie loved to visit! She was very proud of her Norwegian heritage and was able to take two trips to Norway to visit relatives. She developed a love for Bison and Vikings football later in life which would have made Dick smile. But she loved her grandchildren the most. She may not have been the grandma that had warm cookies waiting when they visited but she shared her love of books with all of them. What a gift to sit with Grandma Bonnie while she read their favorite books and nursery rhymes. Bonnie struggled with Crohn’s Disease for most of her life and other health complications came later. You wouldn’t know the chronic pain she lived with. She liked to stay social and active and was usually up for anything. A special memory is a lady at Hawk’s Point telling her “with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, Bonnie makes friends wherever she goes.” How true that was! Bonnie moved to Dickinson in the fall of 2021. It was very hard for her to leave Ray and the family, friends, church, and community she knew so well. The people in Ray supported her through thick & thin and it was greatly appreciated. But in true Bonnie fashion she made many new friends at Hawk’s Point, St. Luke’s and even the line dancing group she joined for a short time in Dickinson. Bonnie was friendly, kind and so much fun to be around. She will be missed! Bonnie was a member of the Ray Lutheran Church and served on the board. She also served on the Williams County Library Board and was an officer for the Ray WELCA Group. She is survived by her children, Rendi (Travis) Olson of Dickinson, ND, Scott (Linda) Ross of Minot, ND, Michelle (Dan) Copeland of Kenmare, ND, Reed (Shelly) Granberg of Hamilton MT, and Lisa Granberg of Ray, ND; 15 grandchildren, Kelsey, Logan, Halle, Ramsi, Reagan, Kadee, Cooper, Hayden, Bailee, Brady, Mason, Austin, Ty, Luke and Abby; 5 great-grandchildren, Sofia, Lilly, Elijah, Madelyn and Einar; two sisters, Linda (Lowell) Williams and Marcia (Chris) Washburn, and brother, Keith (Susan) Olson; sisters-in-law, Vera Raaum, Louise Ross and Sandy Ross; as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dick; parents, Luverne and Thelma; little sister, Sandra; birth father, Jerry; and in-laws, Howard and Olga Ross; as well as brothers-in-law, Howard Ross and Jim Raaum.
Red ID: FND_I_79662 Image ID: 575949 Image Notes: FND001272170

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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