Margene L. Kreps

Margene Laverne (Sunderland) Kreps, Moorhead, MN, died Sunday, May 29^th at Eventide Sheyenne Crossing.

Visitation will be Sunday, June 5^th from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M., with a prayer service at 7:00 P.M., at Wright Funeral Home in Moorhead.  Visitation will continue at 9:30 A.M., followed by a Celebration of Life service at 10:30 A.M. on Monday, June 6^th at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead.  The service will be livestreamed at www.wrightfuneral.com.  Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery, Moorhead.

Margene was born November 10, 1926, in Moorhead, MN.  She was baptized at Salem Lutheran Church, Hitterdal, MN and confirmed in the Lutheran faith at Pontoppidan Lutheran Church, Fargo, ND.  She enjoyed sharing happy memories of school years in Fargo, ice skating at Fargo’s Island Park rink, all the many happy times with grandparents Anton and Emma Anderson of Hitterdal on their farm, with her many young aunts, uncles and cousins at their farms and playing with her beloved white Spitz dog, Jackie.  She and her parents, Amy A. (Anderson) and Arthur C. Sunderland, moved to Seattle, WA with many others that supported factory work for the WWII war effort.  She graduated from West Seattle High School in 1945.  She shared happy memories of High School activities with new friends from the Midwest also there with families for the war effort.  On her family’s return to Moorhead after the war, she met her love and future husband, C. Wayne Kreps Jr. while working at 1^st National Bank, Moorhead.  They were married at Trinity Lutheran Church October 10^th 1947 and celebrated 64 plus years of marriage before Wayne’s passing.  They loved to roller skate, roller skate dance and dance.  Like many of her era, she worked hard at raising her family, supporting her children’s activities, being active with them in Cub Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, Church Sunday School and VBS.  She was strong in her faith in women’s activities, service groups, Bible studies at Trinity along with enjoying Sons of Norway, Circle 8 Square Dancing, Friends Camping Club, camping vacations with family or times at South Pointe on West Battle Lake, along with vegetable and flower gardening.  Margene retired after 30 years at deLendrecie’s Department Store (downtown Fargo and West Acres).  A highpoint for Margene and Wayne was their trip to Norway with Sons of Norway and Carol Juven in 2001.  She was able to visit the ancestral family home site of her mother in Aasletten, Nedremoen Farm/Oyer parish near present day city of Lillehammer/Gudbrandsdal Valley.  She loved to share her renewed knowledge of Norwegian with her family and nursing home staff.  Her beloved companion white dog in later years was Pepper/Peppie.

She is survived by son Bradley (Lyn), St. Stephen, MN; daughters, Sandra (Curtis) Aamold, Alexandria, MN, Sheryl (David) Olsonawski, Park Rapids, MN, and Joan (Peter Smith) Hatlestad, West Fargo, ND; nine grandchildren: Laura Kreps Willard, Steven Kreps, Jeremy (Katie) Aamold, Michael (Leyla) Aamold, Bethany (Timothy) Bailly, Jana (Ryan) Jordan, Lisa (Joel) Trosdahl, Lacey (Andy) Bachmann, and Shelby Hatlestad (fiancé, Zach Kraft); 25 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.

In addition to her husband, Wayne Kreps Jr., Margene was predeceased by her parents, Amy and Arthur Sunderland and Robert H. Roney and granddaughters Sarah (Olsonawski) Nissen (Mark) and Dana (Kreps) Willard (Randy).