Martha Seibel
Aug. 20, 1930-Nov. 8, 2020
Martha Joanne Seibel,
90, Minot and formerly of
Velva, left this earth to be
with her Lord and Savior
on Sunday, November 8,
2020, in a Minot assisted
living facility.
Martha was born on
August 20, 1930, first
born daughter to Jorgen &
Mabel (Horton) Aaseth in
Voltaire, ND. She was
raised along with her 7
siblings on the family
farm. Her first 8 years of
education took place in a
one-room country school
and graduated in 1948
from Velva High School.
After graduation, Martha
began her college educa-
tion at Minot State for a
short time.
On June 5, 1949, she
was united in marriage to
Wilbert Seibel at Oak
Valley Lutheran Church
in Velva, ND. Following
their marriage, they lived
in several locations while
Wilbert worked for the
Highway Department. In
1952, they began their
farming career south of
Velva, farming until 1998.
This home is where they
raised their two children,
Mark & Wanda.
Along with being a
farmer’s wife and mother
of two, Martha was em-
ployed at Home of Econo-
my in Minot for many
years keeping the toy
department stocked with
all the latest toys. In 1983,
at the age of 53, Martha
went back to college to
complete a degree in So-
cial Work, graduating
with honors. As a Social
Worker, Martha was em-
ployed by Hospice and
later for Souris Valley
Care Center in Velva.
Martha was very proud
of her Norwegian heritage
and made 7 trips to Nor-
way to see the country
where her father had been
raised and to meet her
Norwegian relatives.
These trips sparked an in-
terest in family history.
She became very involved
in genealogy work com-
pleting family history
books for all sides of the
Aaseth and Seibel fami-
lies. Martha enjoyed
volunteering at the Scan-
dinavian Heritage Park
and participated in
numerous social events
with Sons of Norway. The
Hostfest was a highlight
for her, and she never
missed attending the
event. She became a regu-
lar Hostfest volunteer for
several years.
Martha was a member
of Oak Valley Lutheran
Church, Velva Senior Ci-
tizens, Sons of Norway
Thor Lodge, & Moose
Lodge of Minot. She was
an active Farmers Union
Member, serving on the
McHenry County Board
for several years as well as
the Mouse River Farmers
Union Camp Board for
numerous years. In the
late 50’s, she helped start
the Young Citizen’s 4-H
Club teaching many
youths how to sew, cook
and garden. She also took
great joy planning Reun-
ions for the Class of ’48
recently celebrating their
70th in 2019.
In her later years, Mar-
tha was happy to spend a
few winters with family in
warm Arizona. She was
an avid reader and en-
joyed a good game of
Scrabble. She had a conta-
gious smile, lived life
with optimism and loved
and encouraged her fami-
ly and friends. She will be
greatly missed by all who
shared in her life.
Martha’s loving family
includes: son, Mark
(Pamela) Seibel, Casa
Grande, AZ; daughter
Wanda (Robert) Fogarty,
Minot; sisters, Marian
Shattuck, Minot; Sonja
(Eldon) Harrold, Creswell,
OR; Ruth (Tim) Bredahl,
Cottage Grove, MN; Karen
(Tom) Bechtold, Casa
Grande, AZ; brother
Donald (Mary) Aaseth,
Velva; brother-in-law
Eugene Howe, Lorida, FL
and sister-in-laws Carolyn
Aaseth, Casa Grande, AZ;
Helen Seibel, Ross, ND;
Sharon Churchill, Wells-
ville, KS; Seven
grandchildren, Patrick
and Joseph Seibel;
Edward (Nicole) Fogarty,
Rob (Sarah) Fogarty,
Nathan (Ashley) Fogarty,
Bethany (Alex) Hermes,
and Wilbert Fogarty; 10
great grandchildren:
Adam Seibel, Bailey
Martin; Ian Fogarty; Reid,
Tate, and Hayes Fogarty;
Kenley Fogarty; Caylee,
Drew and Ellis Hermes.
Martha was preceded in
death by her husband,
Wilbert, her parents, her
brother Alvin Aaseth, her
sister Evelyn Howe, sister
& brother-in laws, Cal
Shattuck, Clarence & June
Seibel, Maurice & Luella
Oler, Eddie Seibel &
granddaughter Rebecca
Vickers. Numerous
nieces, nephews and
cousins also survive.
Visitation: Friday, No-
vember 13, 2020 from 3
pm until 5 pm at Oak Val-
ley Lutheran Church, Vel-
va, and Saturday from
11:30 until 12:30 at
Thompson-Larson Fun-
eral Home, Minot. Due to
the Coronavirus Pandem-
ic, please wear masks and
observe social distancing.
Graveside Prayers:
Saturday, November 14,
2020 at 1 pm at Sunset
Memorial Gardens
Cemetery, Minot, ND.
Due to the Coronavirus
Pandemic, please observe
social distancing.
The service will be
video-taped for the public
to view and can be ac-
cessed by going to
YouTube https://www.
youtube.com/ channel/
UCkw5w BH7W_IUwKU
cuLvhgOw.
Thompson-Larson Fun-
eral Home, Minot