Glory Monson

Rugby

Glory Ann (Blessum) Monson, age 87, of Rugby, died August 17th, 2023, at Lilac Homes Care facility in Moorhead, MN. Glory was born on July 6th, 1936, in Rugby, the daughter of Mel and Ellen (Holt) Blessum. In 1958 she married high school sweetheart, Bill Monson. The couple moved to Rancho Cordova, California where they began teaching careers. In 1966 they moved back to Rugby and took over the family farm where daughters, Lauree, Liisa, and Shannon grew up. Glory began directing community theater productions in 1967 and founded Village Arts, Inc. Glory wrote a few of the productions herself, the highlight of which is “Medora,” a musical filled with her own songs composed about her beloved North Dakota. Beautiful paintings, poems, plays, and two published novels are all part of her repertoire and creative legacy. She loved her family and friends fiercely, promoted the arts with a passion, and traveled abroad to paint the world over.

Glory is survived by her sister, Janis (Bob) Leach of Grand Forks; three daughters, Lauree (Richard) Svobodny, of Audubon, MN, Liisa (Greg) Foster and Shannon (Chad) Miller of Rugby; seven grandchildren; one great granddaughter; brother-in-law Dr. John Monson (Mary) of Omaha, NE. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill and her parents.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 26 at First Lutheran Church in Rugby with burial in the Persilla Watts Cemetery in Rugby. Visitation will be Friday from 5-7 p.m. at the church.

To read the full obituary and sign the online guestbook visit the Anderson Funeral Home website. www.funeralsbyanderson.com (Anderson Funeral Home, Rugby)

Published by The Minot Daily News, Aug. 22, 2023.