Mass of Christian Burial for Elaine Vukelic, age 66, of Mott, ND will be held at 9:30 am on Monday, June 27, 2016 at St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Mott with Fr. Charles Zins officiating. A private family burial will follow at Sunnyslope Cemetery in Mott. Visitation is one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday morning.

ELAINE VANLISHOUT was born in Elgin, ND on April 28, 1950 to her proud parents, John and Evelyn (Hafner) VanLishout. She spent her youth growing up on the family farm 4 miles east of Mott, ND with her two sisters, Judy and Mary, and her brother, Mark. She attended Mott Lincoln High School where her passions for music and knowledge shone through as she played saxophone in the various high school bands and sang in numerous vocal groups while also graduating valedictorian of her Senior Class.

After high school, Elaine enrolled at NDSU where she obtained a degree in medical technology. While in college, she also began dating her husband, Bill Vukelic. Upon graduating and getting married, Bill and Elaine packed their bags and bathing suits as they headed to Palm Desert, CA. Elaine roamed the sands on her moped and worked in a lab for one of her undergraduate professors.

Fun in the sun faded as focus turned to family, Bill and Elaine moved back to North Dakota initially to Dunseith, ND and shortly thereafter settling back home in Mott, ND where they both grew up. Elaine worked as a lab tech in the local clinic while she and Bill raised their two children, Jason and Brian.

Elaine made time for her passions. While her boys were enrolled in St. Vincent's Catholic School, she was very active in the church including the Fall Dinner, Eucharistic Minister, and Altar Society. She cherished her time working in her garden, taking walks, fishing and camping at the lake, playing Bridge and other card games, and could out-wit anyone when it came to solving crossword puzzles; but she especially enjoyed being out on the golf course. Elaine won the local Stangbye Ladies Matchplay Tournament 4 times, and came in 2nd in the State SandGreen Tournament. Elaine was reported to be the first woman to ever notch a hole-in-one at the Mott Country Club, a personal achievement she held in the highest regard.

As retirement neared, Bill and Elaine began a new chapter in their lives; becoming grandparents with the birth of Bridger, Brian's son. They began spending their winters in Gold Canyon, AZ. With a golf course directly out their back door, no bugs in the air, and more importantly, no snow (!), much merriment was made and much golf was played, with new friends and old friends, in the winters spent there.

Elaine passed away on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 in her home, surrounded by close family.

Elaine is survived by her husband Bill; her sons, Brian (Katherine) Vukelic, Ann Arbor, MI; Jason (Fran) Vukelic, Minneapolis, MN; her mother, Evelyn VanLishout, Fargo, ND; one brother, Mark (Nancy) VanLishout, Fargo, ND; two sisters, Judy Greff, Sioux Falls, SD; Mary (Paul) Grindland, Fargo, ND; and one grandson, Bridger Vukelic.

She was preceded in death by her father, John VanLishout.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either the Mott Country Club or the American Cancer Society. Donations to the ACS made be made in Elaine's name at www.crowrise.com/elaine-vukelic-memorial