Frances Sagsveen

Frances Sagsveen passed away surrounded by her children on Nov. 29, 2014. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the House of Prayer Lutheran Church, Bismarck, with the Rev. David Swonger officiating. Burial will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Frances Maude Quick was born Jan. 1, 1924, in Davy, West Virginia, into poor surroundings as a coal miner’s daughter.

Her father, Wilbur Quick, died in a coal mining accident when she was five years old and she lived with her mother, Mattie Crigger Quick, and a stepfather until she was taken into foster care. At age 13, she was sent alone on a train to North Dakota to live with an aunt, Mrs Carl Davis, who she barely knew. When her aunt and uncle moved to Oregon, she went with them and graduated from high school there. After graduation, she returned to North Dakota to work for Aksel and Thora Sagsveen, who would later become her father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Frances married Arnold Sagsveen on April 5, 1942, and not long after they were blessed with the first of six children. Arnold soon was off to war where he was a pilot on the Pacific front, and Frances did her part for the war effort by selling war bonds. After the war ended, Frances and Arnold began farming near Lansford, and soon children started appearing until the last of six was born in 1954. Frances and Arnold farmed in the Lansford area and in southern Canada as well as owning and operating a John Deere implement in Lansford.

Frances was very active at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansford and she was also the first woman elected to the Lansford School Board where she served as president for many years.

Frances had several hobbies, but her favorite was raising flowers. She won countless awards and was the grand prize winner at the Minot State Fair as well as winning the Minot flower show and the Maxbass flower show for many years. She was an avid bridge player, seamstress, quilter, and bowler, but mostly she was just a great mother who put her children and family ahead of anything else.

In 1980, Frances and Arnold moved to Bismarck, when Arnold and John Sagsveen built and operated Capitol Lanes. Frances worked at Capitol Lanes, but along the way she made many friends and spent happy days working with the quilters at the House of Prayer.

Frances developed macular degeneration and in later years had to give up bridge and quilting, but she never gave up being a happy, friendly person. She will be missed by friends and family.

Survivors are her children, John (Lou Hurly) Sagsveen, Murray (Kristi Kerns) Sagsveen, Nancy (Jim) Nelson, Deborah Rottschafer, and Marcia (Paul) Richey; 15 grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; and her sister, Julia (Doodle) Peterson, Minot.

Frances was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Arnold; a son, Scott; and son-in-law, Richard Rottschafer.