Stella Marjorie McDaniel, 89, Minot, formerly of Edmunds, died Monday, July 2, 2012, in a Minot hospital.
Stella was born on Dec. 20, 1922, in Edmunds, to Aden and Dola (Gwynne) Wescom. She was raised in the Edmunds area and graduated from the Edmunds High School in 1941. Stella Wescom and Loren McDaniel were married Aug. 7, 1941, in Wibaux, Mont. They resided in Edmunds on a farm, Pisek and in Tioga where she was employed as a bookkeeper at Blikre Motors. Stella was active in church work and served as president of the hospital auxiliary for a number of years. They lived in Rolette and were employed at the hospital. Stella and Loren moved to Minot in 1967 and were employed at Trinity Hospital a number of years. She held other numerous positions with the Minot American Legion, caregiving in the Tibke Foster Home and was an assistant bookkeeper and receptionist in the N.D. Green Thumb office, retiring in 1983.
Stella was a charter member of the Western N.D. Alzheimer's Chapter. She served on several task force boards at the state level and was a member of the Planning and Training Board for Trinity Nursing Home Alzheimer's Wing and was invited to consult from a family perspective on several other Alzheimer's nursing home wings that were being built in North Dakota. She was the national Alzheimer's contact person for this area, formed and facilitated two different support groups for Alzheimer's, was a speaker and instructor in care of Alzheimer's statewide and was invited to speak at the UND School of Medicine on Alzheimer's from a family perspective. Stella worked tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of others who were impacted by Alzheimer's. Stella hosted numerous seminars in the Minot area on education in Alzheimer's.
She was a member of the Moose, American Legion, Eagles and the VFW auxiliaries.
Surviving family members include: Lynn McDaniel, Minot, and Larry (Susan) McDaniel, Sioux Falls, S.D.; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren: Lance and Becky McDaniel, Fargo, Logan and Luke; Layne McDaniel, Wahpeton, Dakota and Paige; Carrie Hintzen, Farmington, Minn., Conner; Brenda (Keith) Belter, New Prague, Minn., Mason and Kennedy; Sarah Olson, Las Vegas, Nev.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Stella was preceded in death by: her husband, Loren McDaniel; daughter, Lorna Hallahan; parents, Aden and Dola Wescom; brother, Kenneth Wescom; and sister, Evelyn Cope.
The family would like to thank the ManorCare Health Services and Trinity Hospital staff for their excellent care of our mother, aunt and grandmother.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Stella's honor to North Dakota Alzheimer's Association or to the American Cancer Society.
Graveside Service: planned for later in the summer at the Edmunds Cemetery.
Book signing: Thursday, July 6, from noon to 5 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
Those wishing to sign the online memorial register or share memories are invited to use the expressions of sympathy section at (www.thomasfamilyfuneralhome.com).
