PAULINE A. WETZEL-BORG

Pauline A. Wetzel-Borg, 94 of St. Michael formerly of Oberon, ND passed away peacefully on Monday, January 30, 2012 at the Good Samaritan Center, Devils Lake. Mass of Christian Burial for Pauline will be held on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Michael’s Catholic Church with Fr. Brian Moen and Fr. Charles Leute O.P. concelebrating the Mass. Burial will be in St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Wednesday from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. and at the church from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary and Scripture Service at 7:00 p.m. Serving as Casket Bearers for Pauline will be Bill King, Dean Swenson and her nephews James Howard, Eugene Howard, Allan Howard, Norman Howard, Leland Olson, Ronald Olson, Rodger Wetzel, Paul Wetzel, Thomas Wetzel and Tim Wetzel. Honorary Bearers will be Pauline’s Nieces, the staff of the Good Samaritan Center for their loving care and all of her dear friends she has made through the years. Pauline Anne, the daughter of Vincent and Maria (Sondorfer) Wetzel was born on June 4, 1917 at home, rural Oberon, ND. This is where she was reared and educated attending Oberon Public School and graduating from Oberon High School in three years as Valedictorian of the class of 1934. She attended St. Benedict’s College at St. Cloud, MN for two years. She returned to North Dakota and made her home in St. Michael for the remainder of her life. Pauline first worked as a secretary for the priests and nuns who ran the mission at St. Michael. She then went to work as a clerk in the mission store. On January 1, 1940, Pauline began an over 51 year career as the Postmaster at St. Michael. The post office was located in the corner of the Bell Isle Store. She was the historian for the St. Michael area, learned the language and was known by the whole community. She grew to know and love the children of St. Michael and even made it her responsibility to at times be the resident disciplinarian to which many of the children were very grateful as they grew to adulthood. At age 73, Pauline married Gordon Borg on October 9, 1990 at St. Michael. They had known each other for over 25 years. They established their home on the Borg farm at rural St. Michael. In March of 1991, Pauline retired from the US Post Office. In her retirement, she was a devoted wife and enjoyed the outdoors tending to her flower garden and feeding and watching the birds. Gordon passed away on October 19, 1997. Pauline continued to live at St. Michael until 2004 when she moved to the Good Samaritan Center in Devils Lake. Pauline is survived by her sister Tillie Olson-Wallace of Oberon; nieces and nephews James Howard, Eugene (Bernie) Howard, Allan (Lisa) Howard, Norman (Brenda) Howard, Donna (John) Grann and Bonnie (Corey) Erickson; Leland (Yvonne) Olson, Ronald (Janet) Olson, Sandy (Dean) Swenson and Kathy (Pat) Edinger; Anita Anderson, Rodger (Cindy) Wetzel, Paul Wetzel, Thomas Wetzel and Tim Wetzel; Tony Pollestad, Paulette Hoffman and Sonia Stinkeoway; sister-in-law Elaine Pollestad of Alsen, ND; many great nieces and great nephews also survive. Pauline was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Gordon; sister, Rose Howard; brother, Albert Wetzel; nephew Daniel “Pete” Wetzel; niece, Lori K. Howard.