Mary Thompson

Mary Thompson, 91, of Devils Lake, ND passed away on Thursday morning, November 2, 2017 at the Eventide Heartland Care Center, Devils Lake, with her loving husband, Kenny, by her side. Mary Roberta was born on May 4, 1926 at Devils Lake, ND, the daughter of Sanford and Thora (Connolly) Haggen. She was raised and educated in Devils Lake, graduating from Central High on June 1, 1944.  Mary continued her education at UND, where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.  On June 11, 1948 she received a Bachelor of Education degree from UND.  She moved to Minnesota and taught high school English in several southern Minnesota communities.  In 1961 she returned to Devils Lake.   After moving back home to Devils Lake, Mary met Kenneth Thompson and they married on July 6, 1962 in Minot, ND and would have a beautiful life together for the next 55 plus years. They established their home in Devils Lake and Mary was a substitute teacher with the Devils Lake School System for several years.  She started working at the Felchle Insurance Agency, eventually obtaining her insurance license and worked as an agent with the company until she retired.  Mary was a baptized and confirmed member of Westminster Presbyterian Church and continued as an active member her entire life, serving as secretary of the United Presbyterian Women and participating in the many activities of the church. She also enjoyed membership in the Wild Rose chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.  Mary’s love of bridge showed when playing American contract or duplicate bridge with several local clubs and at Wood Lake. Mary competed in many marathons and tournaments and went on to earn her life masters in bridge. Since 1955, Mary has loved spending summers at Wood Lake, first with her parents, then with Kenny. Time spent with their Wood Lake neighbors and friends was so special to Mary, they were family.  Their patio was frequently a social gathering location where Mary always had the table filled with her delicious hors d’oeuvers.  She also enjoyed riding on the pontoon and golf cart with Kenny to visit friends around the lake.  She especially enjoyed her visits from the children and dogs from around the lake. Mary’s memory was incredible and she kept current with local and national events reading several daily newspapers from front to back and working all the crossword puzzles. She wore out several dictionaries in her quest for knowledge.  Mary is survived by her husband Kenneth; sister-in-law Mavis Lyon of Minot and her children Diane (Mike), Dennis (Sue),     and John (Carolyn); sister-in-law Issie Thompson of Minot and her children Dean (Susan), Sue (Josh), and Karen (Joel );  godchild Janie Vang Briss, Devils Lake; “son” Doug (Kristi) Vang, Fargo; and fifteen great nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers-in-law WR (Bill) Lyon and RD (Robert) Thompson. Funeral services for Mary will be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Devils Lake with Reverend Trudy Dumont officiating. Burial will be in the Devils Lake Cemetery followed by a luncheon at the Elk’s Club. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Monday, November 6th from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. with a time of sharing memories at 6:00 p.m.  Visitation will continue on Tuesday at the church one hour prior to the funeral service.  Casket Bearers for Mary will be Jack Traynor, Norris Fagerlund, Darwin Peterson, Tom LaMotte, Jack Martin, Doug Vang, Dean Thompson, Darrell Jaeger, and Richard Mertens.  Music will be provided by Susie Peterson and Jean Aardahl.  A special tribute to Mary will be given by Jack Traynor.  Reading Scripture will be Susan Thompson.