Orpha Stancel
July 2, 1922-June 9, 2021
Orpha Stancel, 98,
passed away on June 9th
in Williston, N.D. Fun-
eral Services will be at
1:00 PM, Saturday, June
12, 2021 at the Trinity
Lutheran Church in
Drake, ND. Burial will be
in the Drake City
Cemetery. Visitation will
be one hour prior to the
services at the church. Ar-
rangements by Nelson
Funeral Home, Drake, ND.
Orpha was born in rural
Kief, N.D. on July 2, 1922,
to Edward and Margaret
(Schlickenmeyer)
Schmidt. The family
moved to Drake, N.D.
when she was 5 years old
and resided there through
the Depression years until
1939 when they moved to
Williston. Orpha graduat-
ed from Williston High
School in 1940. Following
graduation, she moved
back to Drake where she
worked as a telephone
operator. She met her fu-
ture husband, George
Stancel, at a dance that
year. With the onset of
WW II she moved to De-
troit in 1942 to work in a
defense plant making
machined airplane parts
and in 1944 she moved to
Seattle to work for the
Railway Express Agency.
After the war she returned
to Williston and worked
at Heddrick’s clothing
store until her marriage to
George in 1948. They
lived in several towns
during his employment
with the Soo Line Rail-
road, finally moving back
to Drake in 1958 where
they lived until 2013. Or-
pha was a member of the
Trinity Lutheran Church
of Drake, was active in its
women’s organization,
Sunday school, and the
church council. She also
served on the Drake Park
Board and was a
long-time member of the
American Legion and
VFW auxiliaries. Orpha
was a wonderful wife, a
devoted mother and a loy-
al friend. She had a wry
sense of humor and was
warm and welcoming to
all.
Her survivors include:
her sons Steven of West
Linn, OR, and Robert of
Williston, four grandsons
Christopher, Bradley,
Jeremy, and Michael, a
granddaughter Jessica and
nine great grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by: her husband
George, her sisters Violet
and Delores, and her
brother Lyle.
Memorial preferred to
the Drake City Cemetery
or the donor’s choice.