Service of Remembrance for Mathilde Ehlers, 84, of Hettinger, ND will be Tuesday, September 5, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. at the Hettinger Lutheran Church. Rev. Kathleen Dettmann will officiate and burial will follow at the Hettinger Cemetery. Special music will be provided by Linda Nudell and Norman and Bonnie Smith. Visitations will be from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. Monday, September 4th at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday morning. A family service will be held at 7:00 p.m. Monday evening at the funeral home.

Mathilde Bernice Kvanvig was born on December 19, 1921, to Andrew and Helmine Skogen Kvanvig on the family farm in Perkins County south of Hettinger. She was one of nine children. Mathilde attended Grandview School, completing the eighth grade. The early death of her father prevented further schooling as she, along with several of her siblings, were needed on the farm. In addition, she took other miscellaneous jobs in the neighborhood and Hettinger to help out financially as her mother raised her family. Her family moved from the farm to Hettinger in 1940.


On November 7, 1941, Mathilde married George Ehlers, Jr. To this union were born three children—Ron, Bev, and Jerry. They lived on a farm north of Hettinger where they continued to farm until George's death in April of 1991.


Mathilde was a very kind and caring person who enjoyed working alongside her husband on the farm and spending time with her family. She was a member of Hettinger Lutheran Church where she taught Sunday school for several years and helped with activities of the church women. It was when her health began to fail that she moved to Western Horizons in 2001. The staff and residents there soon became her second family.


Mathilde Ehlers passed away at the Hillcrest Care Center in Hettinger, ND on September 1st, 2006.

Mathilde is survived by her son Ron (Sue) of Sheridan, Wyoming, daughter Bev Blackwell (Ronnie) of Rapid City, South Dakota, and son Jerry (Karan) of Hettinger, North Dakota. She also leaves grandchildren Brent Ehlers, Shantel Moore, Todd Jackson, Tracy Jackson, Brad Ehlers, and Tanya Helfrich. In addition, she leaves four great grandchildren—Dylan Jackson, Lexie Ehlers, Devon Ehlers, and Carly Moore. Also surviving is Mathilde's sister Minnie Luckow (Bill) of Hettinger and sister-in-laws Julie Kvanvig of Hettinger and Ann Walch of Cerritos, Calfifornia. Mathilde was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sisters, Gladys, Jenniva, Alma, and Alice, brothers Melvin, Selmer, and Arthur, and granddaughter Tammy.