Angie Rixen

Minot

Angie Rixen, age 90, of Minot, North Dakota, passed away peacefully at her daughter’s home on October 26, 2024, surrounded by her loving family.

Angeline “Angie” Rose (Honeyman) Rixen was born to Earl and Nora Honeyman on July 6, 1934, at her parents’ home in Havelock, North Dakota. Angie’s family eventually moved to a farm seven miles north of Regent, North Dakota, now located on North Dakota’s Enchanted Highway.

To begin her education, Angie attended Horswill, Saint Mary’s, Cherry Butte, and Regent schools. Once she reached high school, Angie attended Saint Mary’s High School in New England, North Dakota. Angie proudly graduated as salutatorian of her class from St. Mary’s High School in 1952.

After high school graduation, Angie attended college in Dickinson, North Dakota, to become a teacher. Angie taught in one-room schoolhouses in North Dakota, including Eagle School in Bentley and Horswill School in Hettinger County.

Angie married Neil Rixen on June 3, 1953. In 1957, Neil found employment with the Bureau of Reclamation. He took work assignments in seventeen locations, including Texas, Utah, South Dakota, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico, before the family’s final move to rural Minot, North Dakota, in 1970.

While Angie stayed home to raise their six children throughout most of her marriage, she worked outside the home in Chama, New Mexico. Due to the community’s teacher shortage, she was appointed as a steady substitute teacher for five years. She also assisted with the Head Start program in Chama and volunteered as a librarian at the Burlington Elementary School in North Dakota.

Following Neil’s medical retirement, the couple raised garden produce and were very active in the Minot Farmer’s Market for over 20 years, both holding offices. Angie proudly entered her delicious homemade pickles, jams, jellies, and vegetables in the North Dakota State Fair, where she earned many blue and best-of-show ribbons.

After Angie’s husband Neil passed away on July 13, 1997, she held an auction, sold their home, and purchased a townhome on North Hill in Minot in 1998. Angie loved gaining her independence and making new friends.

Beginning as a volunteer and then as an employee, Angie worked in pastoral care as a chaplain for Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Trinity Hospital in Minot for 15 years. She received intense training in Clinical Pastoral education and thoroughly loved her rewarding career. Angie took immense pride in listening, comforting, and offering prayers and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones who were feeling anxious, suffering, or experiencing grief.

After retiring from her hospital employment, Angie actively volunteered at Trinity Hospital and Trinity CancerCare Center. As a breast cancer survivor herself, Angie felt very connected to the cancer patients. In fact, Angie proudly had the pink breast cancer ribbon tattooed on her forearm when she celebrated five years of being cancer-free at age 80. Angie also volunteered with others from Little Flower Parish, giving communion to Catholics living at Trinity Nursing Home.

In addition to working and volunteering later in life, Angie enjoyed traveling with her family. Some of her favorite trips took her to Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Colorado, Winnipeg, Washington state, New York City, Chicago, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. Angie also enjoyed spending time at her Riverdale cabin.

Angie’s lifelong hobbies and interests included playing bridge, solving puzzles, and playing word games, especially Scrabble and Words with Friends. Her hands were rarely still as she continually crocheted or knitted beautiful handiwork, which won several special honors at the North Dakota State Fair. Angie’s daily joys included reading and playing her prized piano.

In August of 2021, Angie moved to Maple View Memory Care in Minot, North Dakota, where she and her family appreciated the special love and care she received.

Angie was a former member of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Minot, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Burlington, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Foxholm. During her years at St. Francis and St. Mary’s, she played piano for the church choirs for over twenty years. At the time of Angie’s passing, she was a member of Little Flower Catholic Church in Minot.

Angie will be deeply missed by her children, Leon (Danita) Rixen, Paula (Bob) Bachmeier, Joelle (Stan) Goldade, Lorna (Larry) Coleman, and Shannon (Ricky) Hoff; son-in-law Tom Haider; grandchildren, Erik (Amy) Bachmeier, Christopher (Beth) Bachmeier, Jeff (Anne) Haider, Kristi (Jeff Bopp) Goldade, Michael (Samantha) Goldade, Annie (Chad) Laughlin, Dustin (Liene) Coleman, Breanna (Michael) Potter, Tyler Hoff, and Ashley (Courtney Gust) Hoff; great-grandchildren , Kolby, Addison, Camdyn, and Chase Bachmeier; Kaelyn, Brady, and Hadlee Bachmeier; Josephine and Scarlett Goldade; Charlie and Lucy Laughlin; Kaiva, Lilija, Evita, and Zigmunds Coleman; Frankie and Michael Jr. Potter; Elliana and Adriana Gust; step-grandchildren, Rochelle Gilmore Burlingame and Ross Gilmore; step-great-grandchildren, Madison Burlingame, Brooklynn Potter, and Sophia Gust; brother, Julius Honeyman; sister, Claudia (Vernon) Krebs; and brother-in-law, Jim Anderson. Many special nieces, nephews, and cousins also survive.

Angie was preceded in death by her parents, Earl and Nora Honeyman; husband, Neil Rixen; daughter, Vicky Haider; granddaughter, Lindsey Coleman; two siblings, Alan Honeyman and Rosella Anderson; and several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.

Visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m., on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Foxholm, North Dakota, with rosary to follow.

The Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Foxholm, North Dakota.

Interment will take place at 1:15 p.m., at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, rural Foxholm, North Dakota.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to the St. Mary’s Catholic Church cemetery fund in Foxholm, North Dakota.

Published by The Minot Daily News, October 29, 2024.