Susan Mathiason

Mohall

Susan Kay (Melin) Mathiason, 73, Velva, formerly of Mohall, died Sunday, May 25, 2025, at Trinity Health.

She was born on March 21, 1952, in Kenmare. She was the oldest of four children born to Robert and Arvilla (Keith) Melin.

She grew up on the family farm in Mohall and graduated with high honors from Mohall High School in 1970.

In August, she married Prace Ramsdell where they had three children Kristy, Carrie, and Aaron. They later divorced.

She supported her children in all their school and extracurricular activities.

Active in the Mohall community, a member of the Mohall Jaycee’s, American Legion Auxiliary, Women of the ELCA, Zion Lutheran Church and a weekly bowling league. She was also a booster to the Yellowjackets and Mavericks.

She was employed by Citizens State Bank for many years and graduated from the Graduate School of Banking in Boulder, Colo. Susan had a strong work ethic and if she was going to do anything, it was done well.

In Oct. of 1990, she married James “Jim” Mathiason. This union brought five daughters to the family. She and Jim together opened Mathiason Realty and managed the senior citizen apartments.

They were best known for their beautiful flower gardens. Many people would stop by to see what the newest flowers were or what they added to their wonderful yard. She spent hours working outside which she said was her therapy. She truly had a green thumb.

She enjoyed reading, traveling, camping and family vacations which she inherited from her dad.

Susan’s real joy was spending time with her grandkids; this was either helping babysit or having them spend a week with her. When they visited, she always had a surprise planned, this involved baking cookies (her famous monster cookies), jumping in leaf piles to swim parties at the pool.

In 2014, James passed away and she would move in with her mom, so neither of them would be alone.

As her memory began to fail, she moved to Edgewood in Minot, and later to Velva nursing home where she passed away on May 25, 2025.

Family: A loving mother, daughter, sister and aunt, Susan’s surviving family includes mother, Arvilla Melin, Mohall; children, Kristy (Dan) Leier, Minot, Carrie (Brad) Jacobson, West Fargo, and Aaron (Billijo) Ramsdell, Bismarck, Michelle (Chad) Simonson, Alexander, Mardelle (Barry) Buechler, Harvey, Stephanie (Sam) Striegel, Hilton Head Island, S.C., Jacque Mathiason, Minneapolis, Minn., and Melanie Hanson, Dassel, Minn.; sixteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; siblings, Carol (Donald) Mohagen, Minot, Dan (Susie) Melin, Mohall; and many nieces and nephews and cousins.

Susan was preceded in death by: her husband, James “Jim” Mathiason; father, Robert Melin; brother, Kenneth Melin; son-in-law, Al Hanson; and great-nephew, Wayde Mohagen.

Funeral: 2 p.m., Friday, May 30, 2025, at Zion Lutheran Church, Mohall.

Burial: Mohall Community Cemetery, Mohall.

Visitation: Noon to 2 p.m., Friday, at the church.

Friends may also sign the online guestbook at brosefuneralhome.com.

Memorials: Memorials preferred to Metigoshe Ministries.

Brose Funeral Home, Mohall

Published by The Minot Daily News, May 28, 2025.