Funeral services for Lenora M. Bentz, age 99 of Elgin, will be held at 10:30am Wednesday, April 16, at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elgin. Pastor Jerry Lee will officiate with burial in the Prairie View Cemetery at Heil.


A family service will be held at 7:00pm on Tuesday evening at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Elgin.


Serving as casketbearers are Steve Vietz, Daryl Bachmann, Terry Bentz, Kevin Bentz, Blaine Ottmar, and Garry Ottmar. All grandchildren are considered Honorary Bearers.


LENORA M. THEURER was born September 16, 1908 at Old Leipzig, ND to John and Caroline (Maier) Theurer. She grew up on a farm north of Heil and attended a rural school near their farm. Lenora was united in marriage to John Bentz on November 25, 1928 at the Stone Church north of Elgin. Following their marriage, they moved a short distance from their family farm to start their own farm. A year later, they built a home a few miles north and started their family of eleven children. Five boys and six girls were born, Edgar, Ervin, Gertie, Reiny, Milbert, Ardella, Erma, Dorothy, Leona, Elaine, and Marvin. A fire destroyed that home so they rebuilt a home in 1950 on the same place. John died on March 1, 1958 and Lenora continued farming with the help of her children.


In 1968, Lenora sold the farm and moved into Elgin. She entered Dakota Hills in March of 2003. In February 2008, she entered Jacobson Memorial Care Center where she resided at the time of her death.


Lenora was a member of Grace Reformed Church in Heil and after it closed, she became a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elgin.


Lenora was a wonderful loving mother, homemaker, and farm wife. She loved to garden, raise chickens, geese, turkeys, cattle, hogs, and horses. She was an excellent cook, canning and baking using all available garden and farm produce. She was also a very talented seamstress.


Lenora passed from this life on Saturday, April 12, 2008 at the Jacobson Memorial Care Center in Elgin at the age of 99 years, 6 months, 26 days.


Surviving family members include her 6 daughters and sons-in-law, Gertie Ottmar, Elgin, ND; Ardella and Vernon Vietz, New Leipzig; Erma and Arlan Bachmann, Bismarck, ND; Leona Hauck, Elgin, ND; Dorothy and Emanuel Will, Elgin, ND; Elaine Roth and friend Mike Haslid, Elgin, ND; 4 sons and daughters-in-law, Edgar and June Bentz, Highmore, SD; Ervin and Eleanor Bentz, Bismarck, ND; Milbert and Claudia Bentz, Mott, ND; Marvin and Audrey Bentz, St. Paul, MN; 35 grandchildren; 55 great grandchildren; 8 great great grandchildren; 1 brother and 3 sisters-in-law, Rudy and Adeline Theurer, Elzira Bentz, Bertha Bentz, all of Elgin, ND; 2 sisters and 1 brother-in-law, Hattie and Herb Ketterling; and Georgia Rhodes, all of Gladstone, OR.


She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband John Bentz, one son, Reiny Bentz; 3 sons-in-law, Ervin Ottmar, Marvin Roth, and Marvin Hauck; grandson-in-law, Bob Hehn; 2 brothers, Emil and Albert Theurer; 3 sisters, Esther Zeller, Emma Dorrheim, and Lena Schaible.