Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 272207
Title: Esther C. Wright
Date: 1/5/1963-6/16/2026
Inscription/Marks: 1/5/1963
Summary: Esther "Essie" Celia Wright passed away peacefully June 16, 2026, surrounded by her loving family after a hard fought battle against a rare form of cancer. Her funeral service was held June 23, 2026, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Williston, ND. Burial was in Hillside Memory Gardens Cemetery in Williston. Born in Rolette, ND, Essie was the fifth of six girls. She spent her early childhood in Bisbee, ND, before her family relocated to Minot, ND. She graduated from Minot High School in 1981 and moved to Williston shortly thereafter. She remained close with her sisters, especially with her sister Becky. Together, they raised their children, traveled the continent, and were each other’s closest friend. After moving to Williston, Essie married Scott Alexander in 1985. Soon after, in 1987, they welcomed their daughter, Ashley. Though their paths would change, they remained committed to raising Ashley and sharing the important moments of her life. In 1992, she married Lorin Wright, her lifelong partner. Later that year, they welcomed their daughter, Layken, and built a life filled with family and adventure. Through her marriage to Lorin, she was also blessed with two stepdaughters, Lizz and Nikki. Essie and Lorin enjoyed traveling, camping, and spending time with family. She was even able to convince him to do some horseback riding! Essie often said she had a good life, and she did. She was known for telling stories that were dramatic, hard to believe, and somehow always true. She had a special way of turning ordinary moments into memorable adventures. Family was the core of Essie's world, a value she inherited from her parents and carried throughout her life. She owned and operated the Williston Dairy Queen for more than 40 years. She was very proud that her daughters are following in her footsteps. Many of her favorite memories came from Dairy Queen conventions, which she first attended with her parents and sisters, and later with her children and grandchildren. Essie loved cooking, crafting, decorating, and taking on DIY projects. She had a gift for making a house feel like a home and was known for her sense of style. One of Essie's lifelong dreams was to live in the country with horses, a dream she fulfilled later in life. Her home was always open. Family and friends gathered there for pool days, holiday celebrations, family dinners, and birthday parties. It was a place where memories were made and everyone felt welcome. She had a special place in her heart for horses. Her horses brought her joy, purpose, and friendships that became like family. Travel was one of her favorite pastimes. While she enjoyed both city life and the beach, her favorite place away from North Dakota was Cave Creek, Arizona. One of the greatest joys of Essie's life was being a grandmother. She shared a special bond with her oldest grandson, Graadin, and loved spending time with him, even if it meant watching basketball! When her two youngest grandsons, Theo and Max, joined the family, her heart grew even bigger. She adored all three of her grandsons and treasured every moment she spent with them. Being Grandma Essie was one of her greatest blessings. Above all else, Essie was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. Her daughters and grandchildren were the greatest joy of her life, often saying they were the best part of her. During her final days, surrounded by those she loved, she reflected on her life and said that "this,” being together with family and friends, was all that truly mattered. Essie leaves behind a family who adores her, friends who became family, and countless stories that will continue to be shared for years to come. She is survived by her partner, Lorin Wright; her daughters, Ashley Alexander of Williston, and her son, Graadin Barkie, and his father, Damion Barkie; Layken (Heath) Glenn of Williston, and their sons, Theo and Max; stepdaughters, Lizz (Scott) Miller of Troy, MO, and their daughters, Aubrey and Presley, and Nikki (Jeff) Roderfeld of Wentzville, MO, and their son Will; her sisters, Linda (Patrick) Holien, Andrea (Dan) Klingbiel, and Becky (Kerry) Beechie, all of Minot, Beanie (Kent) Kaufman and Joann (Woody) Flaten, of Bismarck, ND; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Essie was preceded in death by her parents, B.A. and Joan Hadler.
Red ID: FND_I_79699 Image ID: 577061 Image Notes: FND001 272207

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.