Clara Marie (Norquist) Thompson, age 85, Minot, formerly of Garrison, died Monday, July 31, 2023.
Services will be held at 10:30 AM, Friday, August 4, 2023, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Garrison with Janis Sloka and Mark Narum officiating. Burial will be at the Garrison City Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Thursday, August 3, 2023, at Thompson Funeral Home in Garrison.
Clara Marie (Norquist) Thompson, was born in rural Douglas to Selmer and Helene (Nelson) Norquist. She grew up on a farm and attended grade school in rural Douglas. In 1949, her family moved to Garrison. She was a 1956 graduate of Garrison High School and attended the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks. Clara married Dennis Arthur Thompson on August 17, 1958, in Garrison. She had worked at Haugen’s Jewelry, the Garrison Clinic and the ASCS (Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service). Clara and her husband purchased the Heinle Funeral Home and the Ambulance Service. They then owned and operated both (changing the name of the funeral home to Thompson Funeral Home) and selling the Ambulance Service to the city of Garrison in 1968. In 1976, they sold the funeral business for a two-year period, and then repurchased it in 1978. They operated it until selling the business in 2001 to Ben and Colette Gehring. The Thompsons also operated a funeral chapel in Max starting in 1990. They were co-owners of the Garrison Nursing Home for a time. Clara and her husband purchased and co-owned Jack Monument company of Minot with Jim Stephens of Garrison. They operated it for several years before selling it. For a number of years, they spent winters in Arizona. Clara’s hobbies included reading, oil painting, running, baking, and enjoying her grand and great grandchildren. She resided in Garrison until November 2015 and then moved to Minot. In May of 2022, she moved to Missouri Slope Nursing Home in Bismarck.
Clara is survived by two sons and daughter-in-law, Kirby Thompson, Apache Junction, AZ, Jordan and Lisa Thompson, Minot, ND; one daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and David Stumvoll, rural Coleharbor, ND; son-in-law, Maurice (Pam) Ledin, Bella Vista, AR; four granddaughters, Mandy (David) Pechacek, Bismarck, ND, Stephanie (Jacob) Boersma, Farwell, MN, Jessica (Jaxon) Fitterer, Bismarck, ND, and Braya Thompson, Minot, ND; four grandsons, Tristan (Jewel Spitzer) Thompson, Washburn, ND, Ryan Rustad, Minot, ND, Brennan Thompson, Grand Forks, ND and Braxton Thompson, Minot, ND; three great-granddaughters, Zoey and Holly Pechacek and Avery Boersma; six great-grandsons, Conner and Levi Pechacek, Lucas and Ethan Boersma, Cade and Cole Fitterer; sister-in-law, Cheryle (Delano) Norquist, West Point, NE; sisters and brother-in-law, Alma Zimmerman, Duluth, MN, Jan (Jack) Thies, Dallas, TX; sisters/brothers-in-law, Sylvia Thompson, Washburn, ND, Duane Bjornson, Anchorage, AK, Janice Gietzen, Minot, ND, Chris Olson, Garrison, ND, Myrna Spoon, Everett WA; close cousin, Neil (Maryann) Narum, Garrison, ND; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Clara was preceded in death by her parents, Selmer and Helene Norquist; husband, Dennis Thompson; daughter, Stacy (Thompson) Ledin; grandson, Trevor Ledin; brother, Delano Norquist; sister, Joanne Norquist; sisters/brothers-in-law, Mardell Erb, Glenn (Pete) Zimmerman, Truman and Audrey Thompson, Arlin Thompson, Lois Olson, Judy Bjornson, Darrel Gietzen, Myra Thompson; nieces, Kay Wheeler, Annette Norquist; nephew, David Thies.
In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the donor’s choice or one of Clara’s favorite charities (Anne Carlsen Center & Camp of the Cross Ministries).
To view a livestream of the service, go to www.facebook.com/garrisonthompsonfh/ or to the Thompson Funeral Home-Garrison, ND Facebook page.
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