Viola Rolfson

Viola Mae Rolfson, 95, Bismarck, died June 20, 2009, at a Bismarck Care Center, Bismarck. Services will be held at 1:00 pm Wednesday at Trinity Lutheran Church, Bismarck, with Rev. Steve Sathre officiating. Burial will be held in Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 12:00 noon until 9:00 pm Tuesday at Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck, and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Viola was born August 14, 1913, in Mott, ND, the daughter of Paul and Josephine Conradson Bohn. She was raised and educated in New England, ND. Viola graduated from High School in 1932 and went on to attend Dickinson State College and Valley City College where she received her two-year degree. In 1933, she started teaching in Mott, ND. During the summers, she went back to school at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1946. Viola moved to Bismarck in 1944 and taught at Bismarck Junior College, Bismarck Junior High School, and Simle Junior High School. In the mid ‘60s, she moved to Alaska and taught until her marriage in 1967. She married Norman C. Rolfson on March 25, 1967, in the Chapel Tower at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA. Viola and Norman enjoyed many years together traveling throughout the US and abroad. They spent their winters in Lake Havasu City, AZ, and their summers at their home in Bismarck. Holidays and special gatherings with friends and family were the norm. Viola enjoyed entertaining; preparing both formal and casual meals and she was at her best with a full house. She enjoyed Bridge, needlework, crosswords, reading, and sports on TV. Her favorite team was the Duke Blue Devils. She was heavily involved with Trinity Lutheran Church and was a member since 1944. She was a national board member and officer of the ELCW for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Viola was on many boards and committees; serving as a representative on the ND Ed Association Board of Directors and its State President in 1947. Viola will be deeply missed by her eight grandchildren; whom all got their special trip with Grandma when they graduated from the first grade. She made a scrapbook of each trip with memories from the vacation. She is survived by her brother, Sherman Elwood Dorothy Bohn; two nephews, Jon and Andrew; one niece, Corrine; three stepsons, Calvin Shirley, Harold Corey, and Larry Faye; eight grandchildren, Kari Scott, Michelle Froeber, Daniel Rolfson, Kelly Jones, Kristine Shea, Nicole Rolfson, Kaia Judkins, and Mikkal Rolfson. She was preceded in death by her husband; her sister, Loretta Lamarr Bohn; and her parents. Memorials may be given to the Bismarck State College Foundation or the Trinity Lutheran Church Trust Fund.

Viola Rolfson

August 14, 1913 - June 20, 2009