Dorothy R. Kolden, 85, of Garrison, passed away peacefully on April 29, 2025, at Garrison Memorial Hospital.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 AM on Monday, May 5, 2025, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Garrison, ND. Burial to follow at the Garrison City Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00 PM on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at Thompson Funeral Home, Garrison, ND. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services.
Dorothy Kolden was called home to her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
She was born Dorothy Rose Engel, daughter of Christ W. and Lydia (Sayler) Engel of Douglas, ND.
She was 85 at the time of her passing, Dorothy passed peacefully at the Garrison Memorial Hospital with family members surrounding her bedside.
Dorothy was raised and educated in Douglas, ND. After completing High School, she started her career cooking at the Garrison Memorial Hospital. Dorothy married the love of her life John “Johnny” Kolden of Roseglen, ND. Together they made their home in Garrison, where they raised their two boys Darren and Delvin. She continued working as a cook at the McLean Manor and Garrison Memorial Hospital for 55+ years before retiring. Dorothy and Johnny were blessed with finding immense joy in their two grandsons, Christopher John and Craig Severien. The arrival of these grandsons truly completed their lives. Their happiness continued to grow with the birth of their great-grandchildren.
She loved working in the yard at peak haying and harvest season, while still working as a cook at the Manor and the Hospital. When she would get home, she would check cows in the pasture and run combine in the Wheat Fields.
She was famous for baking monster cookies. She loved her family very much. There were two boys she had the privilege of meeting over the years that became very dear to her heart, Adam and Brad Heimerman of Heimerman Harvesting, Conway Springs, KS.
Dorothy is survived by her two children, Darren (Denise) Kolden, Garrison, ND, Delvin Kolden, Garrison, ND; grandchildren, Chris (Kelsey) Kolden, Garrison, ND, Craig (Shaeli) Kolden, Garrison, ND, great-grandchildren, Lincoln, Amity, Braxley, Haven Kolden, and soon-to-be new baby Sutton Kolden; brother, Don Engel, Douglas, ND; sister, Ida Mae Engel, Douglas, ND.
Dorothy is preceded in death by her husband, John “Johnny” Kolden; parents, Christ W. and Lydia (Sayler) Engel; little sister, Ina Jean Engel; aunt, Kate Sayler; father-in-law and mother-in-law, John Sr. and Beatrice Kolden.
Additionally, Dorothy has numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
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