Jessie Hepper

Minot, ND, formerly of

Underwood, ND, passed

away Sunday, March 18,

2018, in a Minot care

center.

Jessie Jean (Sinclair)

Hepper was born on April

23, 1924 in Cleveland,

ND, the daughter of Willi-

am and Etta (Webster)

Sinclair. She attended the

local school and after a

“very happy childhood”

(as she described it), Jes-

sie graduated from Cleve-

land High School in 1942.

She attended Jamestown

College, Valley City (then

Teachers College, now

State University) and

Interstate Business Col-

lege (Fargo) respectively,

all while working for

room and board.

In between and during

her classwork Jessie held

various jobs including at

White Drug Store (James-

town), a different drug

store (Moorhead, MN), a

receptionist for an op-

tometrist (Fargo) and at a

bakery (New Rockford).

She taught rural school in

Reynolds and then 7th

and 8th grade in Colehar-

bor in the 1940s. While

there, she met Russell

Hepper of Underwood

and they dated “a few

times” (her words). Jessie

then worked for 5 years at

Northwestern Bell Tele-

phone Company in James-

town and Carrington,

starting as an operator

then moving up to chief

operator and finally secre-

tary to the area manager.

In early 1952, Russell

entered her life again and

they were married in Far-

go on November 17, 1952.

They made their home on

the family farm west of

Underwood and raised 2

children. The Heppers

hosted a foreign exchange

student from Germany

(Christian Blomeyer) from

1978-79, adding a whole

different dimension to

their family history.

Russell and Jessie re-

tired in 1984 and moved

into Underwood. In

Russell’s later years, she

was a dedicated

Alzheimer’s caregiver.

After Russell’s death in

2007, Jessie moved to

Minot to be closer to her

son John and his family.

She moved to Edgewood

Vista in 2010. Upon being

touched by Alzheimer’s

herself, she moved to

Minot Health and Rehab

in 2017.

Jessie was a member of

Eastern Star, Homemakers

Club and what was then

Prairieview Nursing

Home Auxiliary in Under-

wood. She was a very ac-

tive member of First Bap-

tist Church of Underwood

and later First Baptist

Church of Minot.

Jessie was justifiably

proud to obtain her pilot’s

license after flying lessons

from her generous

brother-in-law Ole Aslak-

son. Other interests in-

cluded music, birds, trav-

el and creative writing.

Family was very impor-

tant to Jessie, including

extended family and trac-

ing ancestry.

Surviving family in-

cludes: Daughter, Harriet

(Foster) Peppard, Sun

Prairie, WI; son, John

(Carol) Hepper, Minot;

grandsons, Jaydin and

Jace Hepper; and many

nieces and nephews.

Jessie was preceded in

death by: her parents;

husband; brother, Mal-

colm; and sisters, Eliza-

beth. Isabelle and Mariet-

ta.

Funeral: Thursday,

March 22, 2018, at 11:00

a.m. at First Baptist

Church, Minot, ND.

Interment: Will take

place in the spring at

Underwood Cemetery,

Underwood, ND.

Visitation: Wednesday

from 4 to 7 p.m. at

Thompson-Larson Fun-

eral Home, Minot, ND.

Memorials: are pre-

ferred to the Alzheimer’s

Association, Samaritan’s

Purse of to a charity of the

donor’s choice.

Those wishing to sign

the online register and

share memories may ac-

cess the online obituaries

section at

(www.thompson

larson.com).