Winnifred C. Hedahl

Winnifred C. Hedahl died on August 9, 2014, at St. Alexius Medical Center, surrounded by her family, following a brief hospital stay. Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, with Fr. Nick Schneider officiating. Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a rosary/vigil service will begin at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue on Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church. Winnifred was born March 5, 1923, to Michael Patrick Coyne and Winnifred Connelly Coyne in Starkweather, ND. She was the fourth daughter and the fifth of six children and so welcome to the world that her mother named her after herself. Her siblings were Eugene and Naomi Coyne, Elizabeth and Jack O'Toole, Catherine Coyne, Marjorie Sr. Britta, OSB Coyne, and Jack and Audienne Coyne. Her father was the Post Master and the editor of the Starkweather Times newspaper. The family moved to Bismarck in January 1939, where her father worked for the North Dakota State Tax Department. Winnifred graduated from Bismarck High School in 1941 and got a good job at the Provident Life Insurance Company. After a year, she decided she wanted to be a nurse, so her older sister Elizabeth helped her fill out an application to St. Mary's School of Nursing in Rochester, MN, where she earned the Edith Graham Mayo Award for kindness to patients. She completed the program to become a registered nurse and was selected for the U.S. Navy Cadet Nurse Corps. She was stationed in San Diego, working in a military burn hospital. Following World War II, she returned to Bismarck in 1946 for what she expected to be a short visit with her mother and stayed for the rest of her life. She got a job as a nurse at the Quain and Ramstad Clinic in Bismarck, and while walking to work one day, she was spotted by a former high school classmate, Neil Hedahl, who called to ask her out on a date the next weekend. They were married on August 7, 1948. They made their lives in Bismarck and happily raised their five children, living within walking distance of both grandmothers. Although she missed living near her brothers and sisters, she loved her closeness with all of Neil's family, especially his sister Beulah and his brother Erling. Winnifred was Neil's number-one champion and supporter in his work in the family business, Hedahls, Inc. Neil died too young in 1986. Even after her formal career as a nurse, Winnifred found ways to remain connected to the nursing profession. She was involved in the Association of Catholic Nurses and volunteered for many years with the St. Alexius Hospice program. Winnifred's appreciation of her education as a nurse inspired her to establish the Winnifred Coyne Hedahl Student Nurse Scholarship at Bismarck State College in 2012. When Winnifred starting playing the sport of golf, she took to it with great passion and loved the friends she made on the links and with the Apple Creek Ladies Golf group. She played her first round of golf on the day her first grandchild was born in 1978 and made a hole-in-one in 1981. She was also active in several bridge clubs in Bismarck-Mandan and greatly enjoyed the friendships and competition that developed from playing. In addition to the bridge clubs, she loved the regular bridge gatherings with her friends at the Plaza Towers where she lived. In recent years, Winnifred would note with surprise and sadness that she had outlived all her brothers and sisters and too many of her dear friends and loved ones. She will be missed by her children Dick and Gloria Hedahl, Joan Hedahl and Debbie Gowen, Jane and Dan Schreck, Mary Hedahl and Doug Magee, and Ann and Matt Walsh. By her grandchildren Katie and Scott Ferderer, John and Tenille Hedahl, and Angie Hedahl; Angie and E.W. Tibbs; Mary Schreck and Tom Schreck; Tim and Julie Magee, Joey Magee, and Jackson Magee; and Neil Walsh, Danny Walsh, and Tommy Walsh. And by her great-grandchildren Grace, Elijah, Carter, and Jack Hedahl; Emma and McKenzie Tibbs; Will and Natalie Magee; and her newest great-grandchild, Nicholas Ferderer. She will also be missed by her sister-in-law Audienne Coyne and many dear nieces and nephews. Winnifred believed deeply in the value of education and was curious and always wanting to learn more, attending classes and seminars of interest at both University of Mary and Bismarck State College over the years. She stayed informed on current events and read every word of the newspaper. With an instinctive charm and an Irish wit, she often seemed to know exactly the right thing to say to people. Throughout her life, Winnifred was a voice for the marginalized and oppressed, and she was a consistent advocate for peace. Memorial contributions in Winnifred's name can be made to the Winnifred Coyne Hedahl Student Nurse Scholarship at Bismarck State College, to the St. Alexius Hospice program, or to Human Rights First.

Winnifred C. Hedahl

March 5, 1923 - August 9, 2014