Ardella Dietz

Ardella Dietz, age 86, of Graceville, Minnesota passed away on December 17, 2011 at the Graceville Hospital. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Graceville. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Father David Brue will officiate. Organist will be Donna Arens. Song leaders will be Donna Jipson, Doris Taffe, and Jean Rixe. Casket bearers will be Wayne Dietz, Neil Phalen, Stanley Dietz, Kyle Kleindl, Travis Gary, Dustin Trautner, and Bryan Klabunde. Honorary casket bearers will be Ardella's Granddaughters and Great Grandchildren. Burial will be at the Graceville Consolidated Cemetery.

Ardella W. Dietz was born on November 19, 1925 in Belgrade, Minnesota to Peter and Clara (Holker) Stalboerger. She grew up near the Mahnomen-Waubun, Minnesota area and attended Flager Country School. On June 6, 1944, she married Eugene Kelly of Waubun. They were grain farmers south of Mahnomen. Eugene passed away in 1978.

On June 28, 1980, she was joined in marriage to Marcellus Dietz. Marcy and Della continued farming the Mahnomen farm. Della was thrilled to have gained a complete family which included Marcy's five children! In retirement, they became avid travelers, including trips to Alaska, California, Colorado to visit Marcy's brother, and to Hawaii for Marcy to revisit Pearl Harbor.

Della was a member of the Thrifty Homemaker's Club, St. Anne's Ladies Aid, Foresters, Rosary Sodality, and the Farmers Union Rising Sun. She held various offices in all of these organizations.

Della was an active woman! Whatever she did, she put her all into it – farming and driving tractor; raising chickens, ducks, and geese and making feather pillows; baking, which included making wedding and special birthday cakes; woodworking and refinishing furniture; sewing quilts for her grandchildren; gardening, and with the harvest, canning and making sauerkraut with her neighbors; playing cards and bowling; fishing and snowmobiling. Della was a proud survivor of Lymphoma cancer, which occurred for her in 2001. In 2005, she moved off her home farm of 63 years and into a home near Mahnomen, Minnesota, to be closer to her family.

Above all, Della was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. (She did not like the word "step"!) She never wanted to miss any events, especially those involving her family, and she was a frequent hostess of family get-togethers.

Della passed away on Saturday, December 17, 2011, at the Graceville Hospital, having reached the age of 86.

Blessed to have shared her life are her children: Richard (Julie) Dietz of Waubun, Jim (Fern) Dietz of Fairmont, Connie (Jim) Phalen of Graceville, Cathy Trautner of Mahnomen, and Mark (Anne) Dietz of Graceville; grandchildren: Susan (Mike) Amick of Brainerd, Stanley Dietz of Waubun, Becky Dietz of Waubun, April Dietz of Fargo, North Dakota, Wayne (Jodi) Dietz of Albert Lea, Neil (Jennifer) Phalen of Watertown, Kristin (Dave) of Dumont, Melissa (Derek) Schroding of Spearfish, South Dakota, Holly (Mike) Lee of Fargo, North Dakota, Travis (Tanya) Gary of Mahnomen, Dustin (Amanda) Trautner of Clearwater, Markie (Tom) Zacharias of Rapid City, South Dakota, Jessica (Kyle) Kleindl of Ortonville, and Carly (Trampas) Howe of Glen Burnie, Maryland; great grandchildren: Christopher, Elliot, Gabriella, Ruby, Justin, M.J., Fawn, Thomas, Gwen, Ellie, Thea, Parker, Austin, Preston, Devin, Meaghan, Ashlyn, Brett, Alayna, Marcus, Aubrey, Riley, Emillyanne, Charles, Steven, Ayden, Bentley, Isabella, and Jaxon; her brother, George (Darlene) Stalboerger of Babbitt; her sisters-in-law Norma Stalboerger of Waubon, Betty Stalboerger and Laverne Stalboerger, both of Hibbing; Marcy's brother and sister-in-law Bill (Della) Dietz of Cortez, Colorado; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands: Eugene Kelly and Marcellus Dietz; her brothers: Bernard, Leander, Harold, and Marvin; her sisters: Monica, Marie, Florance, and Mary Lou; and her great grandson, Mitchell Kleindl.