Fay I. Broten

Fay Ilene Broten was born December 19, 1947 in Mayville, ND to her parents Wallace and Ruth (Bakken) Johnson. She was raised on her family farm outside of Oberon, ND along with her 12 siblings.

She married Harvey Curtis Broten on April 16, 1965 and had their 3 favorite humans. Tamara, Curtis and Shelly.  They lived, worked and raised their kids in Maddock, ND. Fay was always busy. She worked many jobs during her life with the most memorable being her time at Farmer’s Union Oil Co. and Harvey Sand & Gravel. Her most favorite was working on the farm for Alf Dybing. She worked hard her whole life in jobs that men traditionally held in a time that wasn’t common.

She had the biggest heart and once you were in there, you were family. Her AA family was always close to her heart. Once her daughters had their first babies 5 weeks apart, granddaughters Ashley and Lindsay, they became the light of her life. While Ashley lived with Fay and Harvey for a number of years, they lived for the moments both girls and later, grandson Erik were together and their family was whole.

She moved to Devils Lake in 2009 and loved living in the same building as her sister Paulette again, and her niece and nephew Barb and Pete Wentz.

She died April 21, 2022 in her home, surrounded by loved ones.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Wallace and Ruth, husband Harvey Broten, son Curtis Broten, siblings Robert Keillor, Cecil Keillor, Albert Keillor Jr., Olive Kenagy, Wallace Johnson Jr., David Johnson and Burnette Stull.

She will be dearly missed by her family. She’s survived by her daughters, Shelly Broten, Devils Lake and Tamara Broten, Rugby ND; grandchildren Ashley (Andy) Kitsch, Lindsay Peterson and Erik Broten; great-grandchildren Eleanor Kitsch and Willow Peterson; bonus son, Donnie Vetsch and bonus girls, Ashley and Lily Guymon; siblings Phyllis Phagan, Shirley Johnson, Paulette (Palmer Jr.) Odden, Alice Sogge, and Patricia Visk, nieces and nephews but specifically those who supported her when her son died, Derrick Johnson, Paul and Brenda Funk and family, Barb and Pete Wentz, Robin Gonzalez; sister-in-law Rose Johnson.  

Our family wants to thank all of the people who reached out and took the time to come visit her and remind her of how much she is and will always be loved. Specifically, Nick and Charlotte Kitsch, Blair and Tammie Pforr, Hannah Anderson and Geraldine Bingham.

Services for Fay will be at Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake ND on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. There will be a gathering of friends and family at the funeral home beginning at 12:00 noon on Friday until time of service.  Family and Fay request that those in attendance wear tie-dye clothing as it was her favorite and most comfy clothing.