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Catherine Eslinger, age 81, of Elgin, ND, passed away at Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin.

The funeral for Cathy will be held at 11:00 am MT on Friday, December 8, 2023 at the Hope Congregational Church in Elgin, ND.  Burial will be held at the Prairie View Cemetery at Heil, ND.

Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church on Friday morning.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Zion Lutheran Church Sunday School program in Elgin.

Catherine Sophie Eslinger was born on July 6th, 1942, along with her twin brother Mark Jacob, to Arndt and Getrude (Stegmeier) Ketterling of Heil, ND. She attended school in Heil until the 8th grade and graduated from Elgin High School in 1960.

Cathy attended Bismarck Hospital School of Nursing and graduated with her RN Degree in 1963. This marked the beginning of her developing passion for serving others.

In 1965, Cathy married Theodore (Ted) Eslinger of Elgin. They would have three children, Dara (1968), Mark (1971), and Neal (1973). They lived a brief time in Bismarck, ND then moved to Billings, MT where Cathy was a nurse at Deaconess Hospital while Ted worked for Case Company.

In 1972 Cathy and Ted moved back to the farm in Elgin where Cathy would dedicate herself to raising her children and working at Jacobson Memorial Hospital.

Nursing provided an avenue for her nurturing, caring, and compassionate nature to radiate. She eventually retired from nursing after 38 years. Over the years it was common occurrence for people to ask, "Is your mom Cathy Eslinger?" followed by, "She took great care of me in the hospital." Patients and family members alike enjoyed her back rubs.

Cathy's love for people was very apparent in her willingness to serve on committees both in her church and the community. She enjoyed singing and shared her talents in the church and community choirs. She would love to call friends and family and sing "Happy Birthday" to make them feel special.

Cathy excelled at cooking and baking. Homemade pizza, lasagna, chicken and dumplings, fudge, chocolate chip cookies, sprinkle cookies and the famous oatmeal fudge bars. Whenever she brought these bars to an event, the pan invariably returned empty. She grew tired of having to hide the event bars and she started preparing a pan for the occasion and another for home. She possessed a remarkable talent for turning something as basic as cocoa wheats into "the best cocoa wheats" according to her children and grandchildren.

Cathy was immensely proud of her children and grandchildren and enjoyed attending their events. She had a "robust" cheering voice and never hesitated to use it.

Most importantly, she shared her love for the Lord. Being aware of the love of our Heavenly Father and the promise of our eternal home in Heaven brought her profound peace.

Cathy passed away on Thursday, Nov. 30th, 2023 at Jacobson Memorial Hospital.

Cathy is survived by her 3 children Dara (Bob) Miske, Mark (Rita) Eslinger, and Neal (Deb) Eslinger; grandchildren Wyatt, Micayla, and Ceara Miske, Aspen, Jaden, Calen, Alea, and Tia Eslinger; her siblings Harriet Levorsen, Barb Stueck, Mary (Don) Underwood, Phil (Tracey) Ketterling, Tom Ketterling, Tim (Sandi) Ketterling and Marty (Phyllis) Ketterling; in-laws Jan Prindle, Henry (JoAnn) Eslinger and Darlene Grim; and numerous loved nephews and nieces.

Cathy was preceded in death by her husband Ted in Jan 2022; her twin brother Mark Ketterling, sister Allegra Bloom; in-laws Bill Bloom, Al Stueck, Marilyn and Joyce Ketterling, Floyd Prindle, August, Cindy, and Judy Eslinger; and her grandson Isaac Eslinger.