Winifred Lucile Gottschall • 1931- 2010

Winifred Lucile Gottschall, 78, Minot, ND, formerly of Benedict, ND,  passed away  Saturday, September 25, 2010 in a Minot hospital.

Winifred was born on December 25, 1931 near Norma, ND a daughter of Isaac and Gertrude (Schaner) Melin.  She grew up on the family farm helping with milking cows, gardening and whatever she was needed to do on the farm.  She went to country school and school in Norma.      

She married John Gottschall on October 13, 1951 in Dickinson, ND.  John passed away on March 31, 1987.  John and Winifred lived south of Benedict on the Gottschall family homestead.  They were small grain farmers and milked cows.

Winifred went by “Winnie” to brothers and sisters, and “Lucile” around Benedict. 
She enjoyed gardening, canning, raising chickens and sewing dresses for her five girls.  She was great for baking bread, kuchen, pies and many other things.  She enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren.  She belonged to Concordia Lutheran Church and its Ladies Aid in Benedict.  She moved to Max, ND, after her husband’s death and lived there for about five years, before moving to the Milton Young Towers in Minot.  She spent time with her sisters, Dorothy Melin and Joan Vedaa and her niece, Trisha Vedaa, who were also living in Max at that time.  They collected aluminum cans for the various trips they made around North Dakota, including Medora, the Badlands, the International Peace Garden, and many other historical sites.

She joined St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Minot.  She enjoyed visiting and playing cards with the residents of the tower.  She enjoyed walking with a few of the residents.

She is survived by: daughters, Linda (Robert) Ringsaker, Minot, Florence Nyberg, Minot, Gail Murphy, Bismarck, ND,  and Constance Culverson, Spokane, WA; son, Kelly Gottschall, Minot; son-in-law, Henry Bauer, Garrison, ND; grandchildren, Mandy (Joseph) Goodman, Marionville, MO, LeRoy Ringsaker (Brenda Lodgelin), Minot, John Ringsaker, Minot, Shannon Murphy, Valley Center, CA, Victoria Culverson, Boulder CO, and Elizabeth, Benjamin, Rebekah and Daniel Culverson of Spokane, WA; 9 great-grandchildren; brother,  Robert (Arvilla) Melin, Mohall, ND; sisters, Josephine Larson, Mount Lake Terrace, WA, Helen Schock, Benedict and Ellie (Gene) Bredahl, Berthold, ND; sister-in-law, Pauline Taylor, Sioux Falls, SD.

She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; daughter, Beverly Bauer; sisters, Dorothy Melin, Anna Lee and her husband Carold, and Joan Vedaa and her husband LeRoy; brother, Francis “Fritz” Melin and his wife Dorismae; brothers-in-law, Arlo Larson, Carl Schock and Murphy Clark; nieces and nephews,Trisha Vedaa, Jerry Melin, Todd Lee, Gary Larson and Timmy Larson.

Funeral:  Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 10 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Minot, ND.

Visitation:  Tuesday, September 28, 2010 from noon until 7 p.m. at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot, ND.

Burial:  Bethania Lutheran Cemetery, rural Benedict, ND at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29, 2010.

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