Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 272204
Title: Marcia L. Helandsaas
Date: 11/3/1960-6/11/2026
Inscription/Marks: 11/3/1960
Summary: Marcia LaRae (Anderson) Hellandsaas, 65, of Watford City, ND, passed away unexpectedly from a sudden illness on June 11, 2026. Memorial services were held June 22, 2026, at the Ag Expo building in Watford City, with Minister Matthew Rolfson officiating. Marcia was born on November 3, 1960, to Jim and Rosella Anderson. She grew up in Regent, ND, and graduated from Regent High School in 1979 before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics from North Dakota State University in 1984.  She married John Hellandsaas in 1995; their son, Eric, was born in 1997.  Marcia dedicated her life to serving others.  Her commitment to her community was so large it is difficult to describe in one short summary.  She began her career with the North Dakota Health Department as an environmental health inspector, working throughout northwestern North Dakota. Soon after, she found her calling as a McKenzie County Extension Agent, a position she held for nearly 34 years. Through her work with 4-H programs in McKenzie and Dunn counties, Marcia touched the lives of countless young people and their families. She was passionate about helping youth develop confidence, leadership, and life skills, and she worked tirelessly each year preparing for fairs, events, and shows.  Following her retirement, Marcia continued to dedicate her time to her community and the people she loved. She volunteered with the local hockey club, archery club, food pantry, and numerous other organizations, as well as being active in First Lutheran Church, always willing to lend a helping hand wherever it was needed. She developed a passion for solo travel and enjoyed attending retreats and exploring the outdoors through hiking adventures. Nothing brought Marcia more joy than spending time with her beloved granddaughter, Valley. She cherished every opportunity to be with her and create lasting memories together. During the summer months, Marcia could often be found back on her parents’ farm, helping family members during seeding and harvest. The farm remained a special place in her heart, and she especially loved tending to her garden and enjoying the peace and beauty of country life. Marcia was an avid runner, often taking a dog with her who always came back exhausted for days.  Marcia will be remembered for her kindness, her servant’s heart, her unwavering dedication to her family and community, and the positive impact she made on the lives of so many. Her legacy lives on through the countless young people she mentored, her friendships in the community, and the love she shared with those around her. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who knew and loved her. She is survived by her son, Eric Hellandsaas and his wife, Brittany; her cherished granddaughter, Valley; her sisters, Kim Pachl and her husband, Randy, and Patsy Lisko and her husband, Russell; her sister-in-law, Jody Renbarger and her husband Jim; her sister-in-law, Peggy Hellandsaas; her nieces and nephews, Adam Pachl (Sara), Justin Lisko (Rainee), Emily Young (Joey), Kari Korslien (Rex), Jade DeMorrett (Levi), Nikki Johnsrud (Justin), Derek Mott (Lacey), and Cory Renbarger (Amanda); as well as several beloved extended family members and dear friends. Marcia was preceded in death by her husband, John Hellandsaas; her parents, Jim and Rosella Anderson; her grandparents, Elmer and Ruth Anderson and Earl and Nora Honeyman; her brother-in-law, Scott Hellandsaas; her father-in-law, Orville Hellandsaas; her mother-in-law, Juliet Hellandsaas; her nephew, Jeremiah Renbarger; and other beloved members of the Anderson and Hellandsaas families.
Red ID: FND_I_79696 Image ID: 577053 Image Notes: FND001 272204

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.

Enter a subject or term in one or both of the “Search” boxes.

  • “Item Detail” searches the Title, Creator and Summary fields of all item-level records.
  • “Collection Number” searches the Collection Number field only and requires an exact match.

The “DETAILS” button provides additional information about an item, as well as the following options:

  • “Collection Summary” details the contents of the entire collection in which the selected item is located.
  • You can print the image and its corresponding details by selecting “Print".
  • “Digitized Images from the Collection” returns a list of all digitized items within that collection (available from the “Collection Summary” screen).

Click on image to expand/zoom the image view.

“Photobook home” takes you back to the main Photobook page where you can start a new search.

“Featured Collections” showcases new and/or popular collections and the digitized images within those collections.

Information on how to order copies is located here.

The collections preserved in the North Dakota State Archives include over a million images. Only a small percentage of these images have been digitized. This photo gallery provides a preview of the images that have been digitized.

For more information on the non-digitized images, please refer to the finding aids found on our website at history.nd.gov, or ask a member of our reference staff for assistance.