Lois Ann Grabinger

Lois Ann (Sund) Grabinger
A Record of a Life Well Lived – (Abridged)

Lois Ann (Sund) Grabinger passed away on December 2nd, 2024, at Ave Maria Nursing Home, surrounded by her family. She was a remarkable woman. And, as her children… we want to share her remarkable story.

Mom was born on December 23rd, 1935, south of Cleveland, ND, to Carl and Olga (Oleson) Sund, who farmed in the area. She was the youngest of four children and grew up in a close-knit family. Despite the hardships of the Depression, Mom learned the value of hard work on the family farm. She attended school in Cleveland, ND, where she graduated at the top of her class (...all six of them!).  She had a joyful and bubbly personality, was active in sports and drama, and particularly loved roller skating and dancing. Watching her love and passion for the Polka was a joy for any who’d seen her dance.

After graduation, Mom and her adventurous spirit moved to Washington State with friends but returned to North Dakota to care for her ill sister, Iola, at her mother’s request. Iola’s husband, Robert (Bob) Grabinger, was serving in the Army in Germany. Mom accepted a teaching position in a one-room schoolhouse, following in the footsteps of her aunt Frances. After her sister passed away, she moved to Minnesota, where she worked at a bakery and resort in Crosslake. Within a few months, she was managing both (which should not be a surprise to anyone who knew her.) Her weekends were spent dancing at the Bar Harbor Club with her older sister Mona and her brother-in-law. Bob would often drive to Brainerd on weekends to join them. One weekend, he arrived in the company of her mother to ask for her hand in marriage. Mom agreed and returned to North Dakota, converting to Catholicism to marry Bob, which she did without regret.

Mom and Dad were married on November 27th, 1954, at St. Mathias Catholic Church in Windsor, ND, and settled in Jamestown. They enjoyed 59 years of marriage until Dad’s passing away in 2013. The couple began their marriage in a trailer, and after having four sons, they built a house together on Meadowlark Lane. Finishing just in time to welcome two additional sons. Mom was a dedicated homemaker, managing all aspects of the household and raising their children. Incredibly, she also found time to volunteer for the Democratic Party and was an active member of St. James Basilica.

In 1963, they moved to Fargo, ND, where their first daughter was born. They returned to Jamestown in 1965. Mom and Dad had another daughter. Dad had wanted sixteen children, but after giving birth to eight, Mom told him she had done her half, and the rest were up to him.

Mom could be found working as a voting official in every election and at every church rummage sale. She was dedicated to and heavily involved in her children's activities, attending every little league game, wrestling meet, hockey game, softball game, or swim meet. She served as a Cub Scout Den Mother, schoolroom mother, and participated in Girl Scouts with her daughters. She also worked hard so her kids felt loved and equipped for life. For example, she had an intense fear of water over her knees, so she insisted all her children learned to swim. Mom and her sister-in-law, Karen never shied away from a project together. From painting barns and selling Christmas trees, to managing a huge garden, they used the extra money to support their families. They raised chickens, butchered their own meat, and made their own incredible sausage. They picked chokecherries, plumbs, and wild asparagus with the kids for jellies and canning. If that weren’t enough, she would also take on whatever odd jobs needed doing, like mowing the grass around telephone company relay hits all over central North Dakota.

Mom also knew how to enjoy herself. She loved fishing and made numerous trips to Canada with Dad, her family, and beloved friends. Of course, she never got in a boat or even stepped on the dock without her life jacket securely fastened. Family vacations included trips to Canada, Yellowstone, Lake Itasca, and Rapid City. Of course, a vacation for Mom meant more work, but she did it without hesitation, organizing, and handling the logistics and needs of a group of ten. She would pack everything into the station wagon or the cartop carrier.  When they stopped at a rest area, and while the kids ran and played, Mom would get out the camp stove and cooler to make everyone lunch. Then she’d clean it all up, pack it back in, and they’d be back on the road. There was also usually a baby in her arms.  Once back home, she would unpack everything, put it away, and do the laundry. These family trips included annual fishing trips with extended family to Lake Ashtabula. She didn’t have time to fish on these occasions, but she could always make herself available for playing cards. She was a lifelong Twins baseball fan.

Mom and Dad genuinely cared about people, and always opened their home and hearts to those in need. Both actively participated in the Sertoma Club.  Mom was an amazing cook and baker, known for her decorated birthday cakes and holiday feasts. Each child could choose what kind of birthday cake they wanted, and she’d create it masterfully.  She truly enjoyed preparing every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner, for the always-expanding family. Other talents she had were sewing dresses for herself and her daughters, knitting scarves and caps, and doing crochet.

When Dad retired from Northwestern Bell, they began their next adventure and opened Grabinger’s Marine. Mom managed the office and finances for over 35 years, and as she would tell you, she did it without ever receiving a paycheck. The company would grow with the family, and the “boat shop” seemed like the only available venue in Jamestown large enough to serve her family’s holiday meals. Her attitude was always, “the more the merrier.” By this point, she had lots of help, but she ensured everyone had enough to eat and felt welcomed. She was a selfless caregiver, and that did not change as her kids became adults. She considered it a blessing to care for her mother, aunt, and uncles in their senior years.

Mom’s next adventure was to move into a senior townhome in Jamestown, where she took up the hobbies of puzzles and bingo, and continued her love of card games. Everyone knew that Sundays were card-playing days. It was her joy to share those pursuits with those she loved. Later, she moved to Eventide Assisted Living, where she reconnected with many people she had known in her younger days. She would spend hours putting together puzzles and talking with one special friend and was very fond of the staff and camaraderie. After a fall, she moved to Ave Maria Nursing Home and remained surrounded by loved ones. Family was most important to her and making sure that everyone she loved knew she loved them unconditionally.

Mom is survived by her eight children and their spouses: Mike and Jeanette (McCarty), Jamestown, ND; Bob and Cathy (Judd), Windsor, ND; Pat and Teresa (Page), Tucson, AZ; Rick and Deb (Mosher), Sauk Rapids, MN; Tim and Jolene (Reister), Bemidji, MN; John and Deb (Montonye), Jamestown, ND; Theresa and Dan Powell, Waco, TX; and Judi and Jeff Hintz, Valley City, ND. She is also survived by her brother-in-law Marvin Hoye, 22 grandchildren, 18 spouses, 30 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, with two more on the way, along with many nieces and nephews and their spouses.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Olga (Oleson) Sund; her husband Robert (Bob) Grabinger; granddaughter Christina (Grabinger) Johnson; son-in-law Perry Entzi; sister Iola (Sund) Grabinger; sister Mona (Sund) and brother-in-law Marvin Hintzman; brother Orlo and wife Shirley (Wilen); sister-in-law Betty (Grabinger) Hoye; and brother-in-law Fred Grabinger and wife Karen (Baumgartner).

Lois was an amazing person who lived a life full of love, kindness, and generosity. Everyone she knew or loved was blessed to know her and her kindness. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

In lieu of flowers or memorials, please donate to the Jamestown Regional Medical Center Hospice.

Visitation will be 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM with a rosary being said at 6:30 PM followed by a vigil service at 7:00 PM, Monday, December 9, 2024 at Eddy Funeral Home.  Mass of Christian Burial will be 2:00 PM, Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at St. Mathias Catholic Church, Windsor, ND with The Very Reverend Chad Wilhelm presiding.  Interment will be in St. Pauline’s Cemetery, Windsor, ND.

Eddy Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.