Mary Barbara Grant, 88,
Breckenridge
,
MN
, formerly Wahpeton, ND, died Sunday, May 10, 2009 at St. Francis Healthcare Campus, Breckenridge. The Funeral Mass will be 1:00 P.M., Friday, May, 15 at
St. John’s
Catholic Church, Wahpeton, with Rev. Dale Lagodinski as celebrant. Visitation will be Thursday, from 5 PM to 8 PM with a 7 PM Prayer Vigil at Willow Creek Chapel, Wahpeton, (
920 3
rd
Ave. N.
), and one hour before the service at the church on Friday. Interment will be at
Fairview
Memorial
Gardens
, Wahpeton. Vertin-Munson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mary Barbara Grant was born August 15, 1920 at
Renville County
,
ND
, the daughter of Herman and Theresia (Klosterman) Koetter. She grew up on the farm that her father homesteaded. There she learned how to milk cows, shock wheat and do whatever was needed to survive on the farm in the 1920’s and 1930’s. She moved to
Minot
with her father and sister Veronica in 1943. Mary worked for Gaffney Office Products in
Minot
while attending
Minot
Business
College
. She started as an office equipment delivery driver during WWII and eventually worked her way up to secretary and bookkeeper for Mr. Gaffney. She was united in marriage to Gordon Grant on June 15, 1948 to August of 1996 when Gordon died. During their married life they lived in
Klamath Falls
,
OR
, New Rockford, ND and Wahpeton, ND. At the time of her death she was a resident of St. Francis Nursing Home in Breckenridge.
In addition to being the mother of four, Mary worked outside the home as ER night receptionist at St Francis Hospital. Later she worked at the Richland County Register of Deeds Office. She then worked at the
Wahpeton
Senior High School
as secretary where she retired in 1986.
Mary was a member of
St. John’s
Catholic Church, Catholic Daughters and did volunteer work at the Church. Mary and Gordon enjoyed traveling in the
US
and
Europe
. After Gordon’s death Mary stayed involved in the community as a volunteer receptionist at
St. John’s
Church
, a sample distributor at Econo Foods and as a worker in the political process including working at the polls. She enjoyed attending the local fine arts performances at the school in the area. Her favorite time was time spent with family-catching up on the individual and family happenings or enjoying a card game, particularly cribbage.
Mary is survived by her two sons and two daughters; Roland (Ginger) Grant, Kent, WA; Marilee (Ron) Tischer, Breckenridge, MN; Gregory (Deb Davis) Grant, Fargo, ND; Kristi (Bruce) Sturdevant, Walkersville, MD; nine grandchildren: Michael Grant, Los Angeles, CA; Stephanie (Shawn) Hailey, Los Alamos, NM; Jesse (Maureen) Tischer, Wheaton, MN; Lindsey Tischer, Breckenridge, MN; Mayme Grant, Crested Butte, CO; Rachel Grant, Minnetonka, MN; Joshua Sturdevant and Gabriel Sturdevant, Walkersville, MD; Lisa Ehlers, London, England; great grandchildren: Elliot Grant, Tokyo, Japan, Seth, Alix and Ella Hailey, Los Alamos, NM; Andrew and William Tischer, Wheaton, MN, Isabella and Louie Sexton, Fargo, ND; her three sisters: Dorothea Limke, Carpio, ND; Cecelia Zeltinger, Minot, ND and Veronica (Melvin) Moen, Riverton, WY; three sisters-in-law, Donna Olson, Minot; Patricia Grant, Minot, Dorothy (Bud) Korte, Berthold, ND; and many special nieces and nephews, and special friends, Corey and Angie Williams, Donovan, Jordan and Tessa, all of Lisbon, ND.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Herman and Theresia (Klosterman) Koetter and her husband Gordon, her brother, Cornelius Koetter and an infant brother.
