Mathilda Kuntz

garet Kuntz, 98, Minot,

passed away on Tuesday,

November 3, 2020, at a

Minot Hospital.

Tillie was born April

13, 1922, in Balfour, ND,

to Adam and Agnes

(Leier) Schatz. She was

raised on the family farm

in Balfour. She attended

Odin Township McHenry

County Grade School and

Balfour High School. Fol-

lowing graduation from

Minot State Teachers Col-

lege, Tillie taught lower

elementary school in Ber-

gen and Balfour.

Tillie was united in

marriage to Michael

“Mike” J Kuntz on May

30, 1944. They first lived

on a farm southwest of

Balfour and later moved

to Balfour in 1946 where

her husband was a

partner at Balfour Oil

Company. They also

spent a year in Washburn

before moving to

Hillsboro, ND, in the early

1950s. While there, Tillie

was a member of the La-

dies’ Confraternity at St

Rose of Lima Catholic

Church. She belonged to

the Hillsboro Home-

maker’s Club. She and

Mike enjoyed five years of

square dancing while liv-

ing in Hillsboro.

In 1956, the Kuntz fam-

ily moved to Minot. In

1957-58, Tillie managed

the Big Dollar Stamp

Center at Piggly Wiggly.

She was able to get back

to her love of teaching in

1958 when she became

the third-grade teacher at

Little Flower School in

Minot. In 1967, Tillie was

issued a life membership

of North Dakota Congress

of Parents and Teachers.

During the 1967-68 school

year she received a certifi-cate of honorable mention

from “the Instructor,” a

national magazine for

teachers for excellence in

teaching. One award was

given to each state. Tillie

retired from teaching in

1987.

Following retirement,

she and her husband

volunteered for years at St

Joseph’s Hospital, St Leo’s

Rectory and Minot Com-

munity Center. They en-

joyed time with their mall

walker group and enjoyed

playing pinochle with

family and friends. Tillie

enjoyed sewing, crochet-

ing and decorating. The

hospitals, service clubs

and senior care units all

waited for Tillie to arrive

with her seasonal

displays. She was a

long-time member of the

St Joseph Auxiliary, a

fund-raising organization

to assist various commun

ity needs.

Her family and friends

heard Tillie talking for

years about what keeps

her healthy and involved.

We all knew the

answer…Line dancing at

the Senior Center. She

enjoyed this activity two

to three days a week from

1994-2011. Since that

time, she participated in

the Bones Builders Exer-

cise group.

Tillie is survived by:

Daughters: Joyce Kuntz,

Minot, ND, Bonnie (Dal-

ton) Deardurff, Maple

Grove, MN; Grandchil-

dren: Rebecca Davis,

Champlin MN, Dawn

(Todd) Hagness, Win-

nemucca, NV, Tami (Tim)

Chesapeake, Virginia,

Carol Sanford, St Paul,

MN, Mike (Christine)

O’Neal, Lakeville, MN,

David (Mindy) Deardurff,

St Paul, MN, Kimberly

Redding, Enid, OK; Six-

teen Great-Grandchildren;

Two Great-Great-Grand-

children; Sisters: Irene

Stevens, Isabelle Karas,

Eleanor Boehm, Edith

Schall; Brother; Gerald

Schatz; Several nieces,

nephews and cousins also

survive.

She was proceeded in

death by: her parents,

husband Michael in 2004,

daughter Janice, sisters

Monica and Helen and

brothers Edward, Leonard

and Walter.

Mass of Christian Buri-

al will be held Wednes-

day, November 11, 2020,

at 10:30 am at St Leo the

Great Catholic Church in

Minot, ND. Please ob-

serve social distancing.

The service will be

livestreamed for the pub-

lic to view and can be ac-

cessed by going to

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/

channel/UCkw5wBH7W_I

UwKUcuLvhgOw.

Graveside Prayers: fol-

lowing the service

Wednesday, November

11, 2020, at Rosehill

Memorial Park, Minot,

ND. Due to the Corona-

virus Pandemic, please

observe social distancing.

Visitation: Tuesday,

November 10, 2020, from

3 pm until 5 pm at

Thompson-Larson Fun-

eral Home, Minot. Due to

the Coronavirus Pandem-

ic, please wear masks and

observe social distancing.

There will be no reviewal

at the church.

Vigil Prayer Service:

Tuesday, November 10,

2020, 5:00 p.m. at

Thompson-Larson Fun-

eral Home Chapel, Minot.

In honor of Tillie,

memorials can be sent to

St Leo the Great Catholic

Church or St Joseph Auxi-

liary at 4601 County Rd

19 South, Minot, ND

58701.

Thompson-Larson Fun-

eral Home, Minot