Grace Brietzke

Nora Springs, Iowa

Grace Tena Brietzke, age 100, of Nora Springs and formerly of Minot, North Dakota, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 21, 2025, at Mercy One Medical Center in Mason City.

A funeral service was held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 101 N Hawkeye Avenue in Nora Springs, IA with Pastor Joel Nye officiating. Grace was laid to rest at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at Rosehill Cemetery in Minot, ND.

Grace was born on March 25, 1924, in Hartland, ND to Christ Ole Norgard and Torhild Olavsdt Sanda Norgard. She was the second youngest of 5 children. Grace grew up on a family farm in Hartland where she helped immensely with taking care of her family, especially after her mother passed at the young age of 12.

Grace would bake bread before school and cooked for everyone, including the farm workers during planting and harvest season. This continued on into adulthood; Grace was an incredible cook and always made servings for at least 8 plus people.

After graduating high school, Grace earned her 2-year teaching degree at Minot State Teaching College, where she met her husband, Lawrence Brietzke. On June 28, 1945, she was united in marriage to Sergeant Lawrence John Brietzke and to their union, two children were born: John and Gloria.

The family lived in Minot, ND (where Lawrence built their first home) and then moved to Austin, MN where Grace taught at Austin Vocational School until retirement. After Lawrence passed in 2004, Grace moved to Nora Springs, IA in 2011 and became a member of St. Luke Lutheran Church.

Grace was a very loving, giving, and generous person. She lived her life serving others; always willing to help others in need. She often told stories of growing up on the farm to her grandchildren and talked about the farm goats and growing up with her siblings. She was such a blessing to everyone who knew and loved her.

Those left to cherish her memory include her son, John William Brietzke and his wife Jean Brietzke of Nora Springs; son-in-law, Ted Decker; grandchildren: Paul (Karolynn) Decker, Chet (Laura) Decker, Tera (James) Cox, Kristin (Kelly Searle) Brietzke, Sonia Brietzke and Angela Brietzke; great-grandchildren: Nolan Lawrence Decker and Brady Austin Decker and their mother Courtney Austin, Gloria Grace Cox and Wyatt Alexander Cox.

She was reunited in heaven with her husband, Lawrence; daughter, Gloria Ann Brietzke Decker who passed away in 1992; parents and siblings: Helga Anderson, Conrad Norgard, Gladys Jensen and Sam Selmer Norgard.

Published by The Minot Daily News, April 4, 2025.