Nona L Todd

Nona L. Todd, 93, Bismarck, died January 14, 2014, at St. Vincent's Care Center, Bismarck. Services will be held at 11:00 am Monday, January 20, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, with Rev. Mike Roehl officiating. Burial will be in Sterling Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Sunday, January 19, at Parkway Funeral Service, Bismarck. Nona was born November 10, 1920, at home on the Pleasant View Ranch in Paradise, ND. She attended grade school there and started high school in Carson, ND. The family then moved to Sterling where she graduated from high school. Nona married Roy Erickson on March 9, 1942. Together they bought a farm one mile east of McKenzie where they raised seven children. Roy died on June 16, 1959, at the age of 41. Nona and her seven children continued to operate the family farm and in 1963, she also bought "Nona's Tavern" in Steele, which she operated for 13 years. On January 26, 1979, Nona married Ellis Todd. They traveled extensively, had a condo in Bismarck, a winter home in Phoenix, AZ, and a summer cottage in Siren, WI. They were the perfect couple and enjoyed every minute of their lives together. Ellis died in Phoenix on December 30, 1990. Nona gave up her Phoenix home in 1999. Nona was an amazing athlete and won over 1000 awards in a variety of sports. Race-walking was her favorite and she holds many records that will not easily be broken. She was named ND Athlete of the Year in 1994 and SD Athlete of the Year in 1995. She participated in several National Senior Olympics around the US and through appearances on television, radio, with local schools, articles in books, newspapers and magazines, was an inspiration to many. Nona was an energetic, kind, generous, fun loving person who cherished her children and possessed a deeply ingrained love for farming. She enjoyed the outdoors, walking in Sertoma Park, working in her yard and on her farms at McKenzie and Sterling. She would very often drive to her farm in Sterling to plant and care for trees and she single-handedly razed an old bunkhouse on that property, much to the amazement of her children. Nona is survived by her three daughters, Arlene Ron Anderson, Bismarck, Inez Jon Phillips, Jacksonville, OR, and Ava Gordy Thomas, Driscoll; two sons, Rodger Sandy Erickson, McKenzie, and Dwight "Ike" Sandy Erickson, Bismarck; two step-daughters, Gale Shivram Murty, Spring Valley, WI, and Deb Asplund, Knoxville, TN; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her two husbands, Roy Erickson and Ellis Todd; one son, Darrel; one daughter, Janice Ferderer; one son-in-law, Dale Ferderer; one granddaughter, Nina Ferderer; her parents, William and Callie Dickenson; four sisters, Ruth, Orma, Mildred, and Eileen; and three brothers, Bud, Bob, and Johnnie.

Nona L Todd

November 10, 1920 - January 14, 2014