Joleen Hauff

Makoti

Joleen Eloise (Knudson) Hauff was born on July 27, 1933, in Makoti, North Dakota. She was the oldest of four children born to John “Jack” Carl Knudson and Jeanette Elizabeth (Bonde) Knudson. Joleen was baptized and confirmed at Hope Lutheran Church in Makoti. She grew up on the Knudson family farm, located ten miles southwest of Makoti, and attended Mountrail Consolidated School until the eighth grade. She graduated from Makoti High School in 1951 and then attended Minot State College, where she completed the Teachers’ College summer program. Joleen taught for two years at Mountrail Grade School, southwest of Makoti.

On December 24, 1951, Joleen married Robert “Bud” Hauff in Augusta, Georgia, where Bud was serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Her father bought her a train ticket to travel to Camp Gordon in Georgia, where she married her beloved Bud before returning to Makoti to continue teaching. They purchased her grandmother Mary Knudson’s home in Makoti, where they happily lived together for many years. Joleen and Bud celebrated over 40 years of marriage until Bud’s passing in February 1992.

Active in the Makoti community, Joleen and Bud bought the Makoti Locker Meat Processing Plant in 1954. They expanded their business to include small appliance sales, electrical contracting, and sporting goods before selling the locker in 1974. They continued to manage their other businesses until 1992.

Joleen was known for her generous and caring spirit. She provided rides for many residents of Makoti to and from doctors’ appointments and weekly grocery shopping. She was also a member of the Makoti American Legion Auxiliary. She attended Hope Lutheran in Makoti, First Evangelical in Parshall, and Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Brethren in Minot. She served on the board of Rockview Nursing Home in Parshall for many years.

Joleen spent many hours in her garden and tended to her fruit trees. She loved animals and always had a cat or a dog as household companions. Additionally, she enjoyed fishing, hunting, and playing golf. Joleen hosted family Christmas Eve dinners and made a point to invite community members who might otherwise be alone. She worked hard to foster positive relationships with everyone in the community.

In the summer of 2012, Joleen moved permanently to her new home in Minot, North Dakota. In 2020, she transitioned to Edgewood Assisted Living in Minot. Joleen Hauff, 91, formerly of Makoti, passed away on April 3, 2025, at Edgewood Assisted Living in Minot.

A loving and devoted wife, sister, and aunt, Joleen was preceded in death by her husband, Robert “Bud” Hauff; parents, John Knudson and Jeanette (Bonde) Knudson; sister and brother-in-law, MaryAnn and Wilmar Schenfisch; sisters-in-law, Sharon Knudson and Laura Garnas; and brother-in-law, Richard “Dick” Hauff. Survivors include her brothers, Jack Knudson of Cheyenne, WY and Kenneth (Joann) Knudson of Mesa, AZ.; nieces and nephews, Monty, Dean, Joel, and Bryon Schenfisch, and Patty Johnson, Cindy and Bryon Knudson, Gary, Richard, Gerald “Jerry”, Robert, Donald, and David Garnas; and many great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the Edgewood Staff for their loving and compassionate care.

Visitation: Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 2-4 p.m. at Langhans Funeral Home, Parshall

Funeral: Friday, April 11, 2025, at 11 a.m., at Hope Lutheran Church, Makoti

Interment: Hope Lutheran Cemetery, Makoti.

Published by The Minot Daily News, April 7, 2025.