Greta Knutson

Sept. 1, 1934-Dec. 28, 2008

Greta Knutson, 74, Bismarck, died Sunday, December 28, 2008, at her home. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 31, at House of Prayer Lutheran Church, Bismarck, with Rev. Dave Swonger and Rev. Joel Samuelson officiating. Burial will be held in the spring.

A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. today, December 30, at House of Prayer Lutheran Church, Bismarck.

Greta was born September 1, 1934, in Wolf Point, MT, the daughter of Conrad and Inez Grindberg. Greta attended Velva School, graduating with honors in 1952. She married Ernest A. Knutson on August 31, 1952, in Oak Valley Lutheran Church. They made their home on a farm southeast of Voltaire, ND, from 1952 until 1968, where they had seven children, Laurie, Dean, Gary, Neal, Boyd, Gale and Ward. In 1968 they moved the family to a half-mile south of Velva until 1972 when they moved into town. Ernie was a partner of Velva Lumber and Hardware.

Greta graduated from Minot State University in 1985 with a BA in Business Administration and a minor in Library Science. Greta worked at Dale's Super Valu, South McHenry Soil Conservation Service, McHenry County Farm Bureau, Nodak Mutual Insurance, and Triplett Insurance. After graduating college, Greta became Director of McLean/Mercer Library in Riverdale, followed by librarian at Standing Rock College, Fort Yates, then at Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library as a cataloguer, reference librarian, and interlibrary loan librarian until her retirement in 2004. After her retirement she continued to volunteer at the library two days a week. Greta was an avid reader, and usually had two to three books going at the same time.

In Velva, Greta was secretary for the Velva Clinic Inc. and a member of Oak Valley Lutheran Church. In Bismarck, she was a member of House of Prayer Lutheran Church, and the G.I.F.T.S. program of the ND Evangelical Lutheran Church. She was also a member of the ND Library Association, The Mountain Plains Library Association and a member of the Board of the Friends of Library.

Greta was very proud of her Norwegian heritage and did extensive work on tracing family history. She fulfilled one of her life dreams of traveling to Norway, her first trip she experienced with her sister Thelma, the second trip she made alone.

Greta is survived by: her children, Laurie (Mike) Tanner, Las Vegas, NV, Dean (Kim) Knutson, Mitchell, SD, Neal Knutson, Velva, Gale Kerzman, Bismarck, and Ward (Donna) Knutson, Bismarck, ND; her 11 grandchildren, Robert (Heather) Trinneer, Lincoln, Shawn Trinneer, Lincoln, Corey (Jessica) Trinneer, Mandan, Jason (Kristie) Kerzman, Bismarck, Greta (Rayce) Loritz, Bismarck, Kaitlin (Mike Kurtz) Kerzman, Bismarck, LeAnn (Brian Kerin) Knutson, Seattle, WA, Mallory Knutson, Sioux Falls, SD, Brandi Knutson, Minot, Kyle Knutson, Bismarck, Karli Knutson, Bismarck; and granddaughter-in-law, LeeAnn Trinneer, Pierre, SD; her nine great-grandchildren, Krystanna, Anastasia, London, Joshua, Jacob, Taiven, Brysten, Samantha and Alexis, and two stepgreat-grandchildren, Matthew and Jordyn.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ernie; two sons, Gary and Boyd; three grandsons, Jamie Trinneer, Joshua Kerzman, and Casey Knutson; two sons-in-law, Charles "Butch" Trinneer and John Kerzman; and her parents.

Go to (www.eastgatefuneral.com) to share memories of Greta and sign the online guestbook.

(Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck)