Laurel Berland

Minot

Our beloved mother, Laurel “Jean” Berland, peacefully joined our Lord in Heaven in the early morning hours on Friday, January 24, 2025. She was 95 years of age.

Laurel Jean Berland was born on September 22, 1929 in Minot, ND to Clarence and Hortense (Abrahamson) Berg. She was baptized and confirmed at Bethany Lutheran Church and was proud to claim that her grandfather, Marcus Berg, helped dig the basement when Bethany was first being built. Jean also sang in the Junior Choir at Bethany.

Jean attended a country school near Sawyer, ND and graduated from Minot High School in 1947. While living in the country, she liked to pick wildflowers in the pasture and lay in the trees on a warm summer day, reading a good book.

At the age of 19, Jean went to a dance at the Parker Auditorium in Minot where she met the handsomest man she had ever laid eyes on – and he was a good dancer too! She fell head-over-heels in love with Donald Berland and they were married on October 28, 1950 at Stenkjaer Lutheran Church in Simcoe, ND. To this union four children were born.

Don and Jean first lived with Don’s uncle and aunt, Lawrence and Esther Harness, on their farm north of Velva, ND. Esther taught Jean how to make good old fashioned potato dumplings which became a favorite family meal in the cold winter months. They also lived in Minot, Velva, and Carbury where Don managed elevators.

In 1956, Don and Jean moved their family to Hettinger, ND where Don managed the Farmers Equity Elevator. Hettinger is where they made life-long best friends and considered Hettinger their “home” for many years. Jean became employed at the West River Clinic in the insurance department in 1967 and decided she liked to do bookwork. While in Hettinger, Jean was involved in the Lutheran Ladies Aide Circle and joined a women’s bowling league.

In 1971, Don and Jean moved their family to Scott City, KS where Don managed the Sorghum Division of Weather Master Seeds and Jean was the office manager. Jean was praised for her exceptional bookkeeping skills by several auditors over the years. While residing in Kansas, they continued to fly up to Hettinger to spend holidays and long weekends with their close friends who were a second family to them and their children. It was in Kansas where Jean honed her gardening skills and was known for her tasty pickles and relishes.

Don and Jean located back to Velva in late 1978 where they purchased the Pioneer Bar and added the steakhouse in 1987. People would drive for miles to eat one of their steaks or prime rib and again, make life-long friends. Don passed away in 2003 and Jean continued to run the business until 2008 when it was sold.

Jean was an excellent cook and she and Don loved to entertain. Her daughter used to say that her mom could cook for two and make enough for ten, but that was because she never knew who Don would bring home to feed. When her kids were young, Jean would bake bread or buns every day and always had fresh cookies on hand for all their neighborhood friends.

Favorite hobbies included crocheting and sewing her own dresses and matching cowboy shirts for her sons. Jean’s mom played organ by ear and Don bought Jean an organ when they lived in Hettinger. Jean tried to teach herself to read music but preferred to play by ear like her mom did. Reading was a favorite pastime as a child and continued right up to the end. Jean could always be found with her nose in a book.

At the age of 82, Jean became a huge NFL football fan with the Minnesota Vikings being her favorite team. She would proudly wear her Vikings shirts and socks on game day and take detailed notes as to who all the players and coaches were and which player made a key play. When Jean was 86, her daughter took her to her first and only pro-football game when the Vikings took on the Cincinnati Bengals at the new US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. It made her day to see Teddy Bridgewater briefly take the field (which unfortunately resulted in an interception) and celebrate a win for the Vikings.

Don and Jean did a lot of traveling with Don piloting the airplane or driving one of their motorhomes, but her favorite time of all was spent at the lake. Days spent in a boat catching walleye were the most relaxing times for her. Every year she anticipated the third week in July when all her kids and grandkids would come home for a fish fry and corn feed at the bar, followed by a week of fishing at the lake.

Family was very important to Jean. She encouraged her children to do what they enjoyed and it was ok to make mistakes as long as they learned from them. Being a grandparent was one of the greatest joys in her life. Every visit included lots of hugs and kisses, huge smiles, laughter, and boxes of baked goodies. Jean lovingly created quilts for all her loved ones so they would have a beautiful, treasured gift to remember her by.

Jean had a heart full of love and her daughter always said she would happily share her mom as she had enough love for everyone. She was a “mom” to anyone who needed a hug or a shoulder to cry on and was known as “Grandma Jean” to a lot of kids.

Jean spent the last eight months of her life at Valley View Manor and the Souris Valley Care Center in Velva where she received wonderful care from the staff. Her daughter would visit her every single day and they always said “Good Night” and “I love you” with big smiles. Of all the things our mom taught us kids, she forgot to teach us how to live without her.

Survivors include her son Larry Berland of Hazen, ND, daughter Lynn (Kevin) Klein of Velva, ND, granddaughters Christy (Jason) Vogel of Jamestown, ND, and Sarah (Michael) Olson of Casselton, ND; grandson Erik Berland of Bismarck, ND; great granddaughters Kyra (Dillon) Hager and Myah Olson; great grandsons Hunter Vogel, Maisen and Maxx Olson; sister Helen Smith; sister-in-law Kay Mikkelson; grandpuppies Kinzie and Sadie, and her “adopted” kids Lamont and Mary Leingang.

Those who preceded her in death were her husband, sons Richard and Ronald; her parents; brothers Virgil, Lloyd, and Roger Berg; sisters-in-law Bonnie, Shirley and Carole Berg, Delores Faul, Evelyn Brekke and Glenda Shoemaker; brothers-in-law Wayne Berland, Gordon Berland, Allen (Jack) Berland, Arlo Faul, John Brekke and Willis Smith; and much loved grandpuppy Teeka and grand kitties Misty and Callie.

Memorials are preferred to the Velva Ambulance, Valley View Manor or Souris Valley Care Center in Velva.

Visitation: Sunday, February 2, 2025 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Velva, ND.

Funeral Service: Monday, February 3, 2025 at 11 am at Oak Valley Lutheran Church, Velva, ND

Graveside Service: Monday at 1:30 pm at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Minot.

Published by The Minot Daily News, January 28, 2025.