Myrtle Ida (Lien) Strand passed from this life on December 24, 2010 at the Long Term Care facility of Southwest Health Care in Bowman, N. Dak. at the age of 91 years.

Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 10: 30 am at Hettinger Lutheran Church, Hettinger, N. Dak. Rev. Kathleen Dettmann will officiate and burial will follow at the Hettinger Cemetery. Visitations will be from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger and one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday morning.


Myrtle Ida Lien was born on December 19, 1919 at Havelock, N. Dak., the daughter of Ole and Olena (Hagen) Lien. She was raised on the family farm and graduated from Regent High School, Regent, N. Dak. with the class of 1938. Myrtle was married to Bert Strand on September 28, 1940. They made their home and farmed in Adams County, N. Dak. To this union five children were born: Carol who died in infancy; Nadine, Karen, Galen and Trevor. In 1969, Bert and Myrtle purchased a home in Hettinger, N. Dak. where they lived during their retirement years.


Myrtle was very active in several organizations including Richland Lutheran and Hettinger Lutheran Churches, the Hettinger Eagles Club, and the Hettinger Country Club. She donated countless volunteer hours to the Clothes Closet and to Hillcrest Care Center where she volunteered for over 35 years in the beauty shop, only stopping when she herself became a resident. Myrtle enjoyed golfing, bowling and playing cards with her friends. She enjoyed the fellowship of the Bingo games; and also was known to make an occasional trip to the casino with her friends or her daughter to try some games of chance. For several years Myrtle and two friends were seen daily around Hettinger on their long morning walks of two or three miles. She received several medals at the Hettinger Fourth of July festivities as the oldest walker in the annual run/walk, receiving her last medal at age 85.


Myrtle became a resident of Hillcrest Care Center (now Western Horizons Care Center) in February 2006. In November 2009 she became a resident of SW Health Long Term Care Center in Bowman where she made her home until her death on Christmas Eve.


She was preceded in death by her parents, Ole and Olena Lien; brother Oscar Lien; sisters Ragna Halverson and Thelma Johnson; her husband, Bert Strand; her infant daughter Carol; her daughter Karen Tanous; her grandson Tanner Strand.


Left to mourn her death are her daughter Nadine (Tom) Mahler of Medical Lake, Washington; her sons Galen (Suzanne) Strand of Bowman N. Dak. and Trevor (Carrie) Strand of Hettinger, N. Dak.; her son-in-law Wayne Tanous Of Bismarck, N. Dak.; her grandchildren Eric (Marci) Mahler, Laurie (Don) Reimen , Nathan (Brenna) Mahler, Al (DeAnn) Tanous, Jason Tanous; Shana (Bill) Bernhard; Rochelle (Travis) Thompson; Tyler Strand; and Ashley Strand; her great-grandchildren Seth Mahler, Ian Mahler, Hannah Reiman, Claira Reiman, Emma Mahler, Thomas Mahler, Devan Tanous, Hannah Tanous, Conner Tanous, Jayden Tanous, Katarina Tanous, Sydney Bernhard, Sophia Bernhard, Tucker Stand and Aidan Thompson; her brother Harold (Dorothy) Lien, her sister-in-law Leotta Lien and several nieces and nephews.