Beulah Minerva Hedahl

Our Good Shepherd took Dr. Beulah M. Hedahl, 87 home to be with Him on Monday morning, March 17, 2008 at her home in Devils Lake. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 10:30 a.m.at St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Devils Lake with Rev. Harold Ovre and Rev. Lee Yarger officiating. Burial will be in the Rance Family plot at the Devils Lake Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Friday, March 21, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a Prayer Service and Time of Remembrance at 5:00 p.m. Visitation on Saturday will be at the church one hour prior to the funeral service. Eulogy will be by Dr. Duane Luessenheide Music will be provided by Russell Pearson, soloist and Lynda Pearson, organist. Serving as Casket Bearers for Beulah will be Angela Hedahl, John Hedahl, Derrick Hedahl, Chad Sundberg, Brian Sundberg and Wayne Rance. Beulah Minerva Hedahl, PhD was born to Edwin and Clara (Berge) Hedahl at Bismarck, ND on September 12, 1920. Mr. & Mrs. Hedahl lived at Mercer, ND and moved to Bismarck in 1928. Beulah was educated in the Bismarck School System, graduating from Bismarck High School in 1937. After graduating, Beulah worked for her Dad in the family business in Bismarck which at that time was called Hedahl Motor Supply. From 1939-1941, Beulah attended Bismarck State College and was in the first graduating class. In 1942, she started school at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, but she had to return home in November of 1942 because of her father’s death. At the age of 22 years old, Beulah became the President and manager of Hedahl Motor Supply. Her two brothers were serving in World War II and it was up to Beulah to decide if the business was worth saving. After much consideration she decided that it was indeed worth saving and she forged ahead. Today Hedahls Inc. is doing very well. Dick Hedahl is the CEO of the company and said, “In that time, Beulah substantially contributed to the success of Hedahls and to the lives of all the employees and family members this company has affected all these years.” Beulah has served on the board of directors for many years and in 2006 was elected to the board as Board Member Emeritus. After her brothers came back from the war and took over the company in 1945, Beulah went back to Concordia and earned her BA degree in 1946. In the fall of 1946, she started graduate school at Washington State University at Pullman, Washington and in 1948 earned her Master’s degree in English. From 1948 to 1951, Beulah was Dean of Women and Assistant Professor of English at Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma, Washington. IN the fall of 1951 she entered graduate school at the University of Minnesota and earned a second Masters of Arts degree in Educational Psychology in 1956. In the fall of 1956 she went to Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan where she was employed as a counselor in the Counseling Center. While there she completed work on her PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1958. Beulah’s mother was getting older and because of this Beulah came back to North Dakota as the Director of the Counseling Center at the University of North Dakota. In 1972 she was promoted to full Professor of Psychology. In the fall of 1973, Beulah met Sharon Rance. Sharon was a student at UND and was having a difficult time adjusting to college life and her physical disability. Beulah invited Sharon to live with her at a time when the University and the community were just beginning to provide services for physically disabled students. Beulah invested much of herself in Sharon and for that and much more, Sharon will be forever grateful. From 1979 to 1981 Beulah was Chairperson of the Psychology Department. She was also Senior Counselor at the Counseling Center until she retired in 1983. She moved to Bismarck and continued to serve on several doctoral committees. Beulah donated her Professional Library to the Valerie Merrick Public and College Library at Fort Totten, ND. In 2000, Beulah moved to Devils Lake. During her professional career she was very active at both the state and national levels. She was a member of the ND Psychological Association, ND Personnel and Guidance Association, American Psychological Association, American Personnel and Guidance Association, American Association of Counseling Directors, National Vocational Guidance Association, Association of Counselor Education and Supervision, Association for Higher Education, American Association of University Women, League of Women Voters, Phi Kappa Phi, a life long member of Pi Lambda Theta and Psi Chi. In 1971, Beulah was invited to give a faculty lecture at UND entitled, “Is Someone Listening”. She is listed in Who’s Who of American Women. In 1980 she received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Bismarck State College Alumni Association. In 1981, she received the Lillian and Henry Barry Award in Human Relations from Phi Lambda Theta. For eight years, Beulah served on the medical school admissions committee at UND. She served on the adhoc committee on Educational Provisions for Physically Disadvantaged Students and on the Committee for Indian Studies. She was always a very active member of her church as well as in Campus Ministry. At the time of her death she was a member of St. Olaf Lutheran Church. In 1979, she attended a National Conference on Consultation for Disabled Lutherans and in 1980 she helped plan a state conference. Beulah had many other interests besides education. She was a strong supporter of all the arts and especially music and was also an avid reader. But Beulah’s greatest interest and devotion was to helping others. Beulah loved God. She was and will always be one of God’s special angels. Beulah is survived by her special daughter, Sharon Rance of Devils Lake. Sister-In-Law: Winnifred Coyne-Hedahl, Bismarck Nephews: Bruce Hedahl, Pattaya Beach, Thailand; Dick (Gloria) Hedahl, Bismarck; Nieces: Lois Hedahl (Dick) Brown, Fargo; Joan Hedahl, Fayetteville, North Carolina; Jane Hedahl (Dan) Schreck, Bismarck; Mary Hedahl (Doug) Magee, New York and Ann Hedahl (Matt) Walsh, Minneapolis. Several great nieces and great nephews and one great great niece and great great nephew also survive. Beulah was preceded in death by her brothers, Erling and Neil Hedahl and sister-in-law, Hazel.