J. Patrick Traynor, Executive Director, Dakota Medical Foundation, Fargo

The Fourth of July was a bittersweet day this year for all of us at Dakota Medical Foundation. While we were celebrating Independence Day with friends and family, we got the news that our region lost one of its most outstanding servant leaders.

Sister Mary Louise Jundt passed away at the age of 92 following a lifetime of service to others.

I looked up to her from the moment I met her. She personified everything good in the world and so much of what I believe society lacks today: devotion, sacrifice, humility, kindness, respect and concern for others. I could go on and on about the immeasurable impact she had on me and everyone else around her.

Her positive qualities were perhaps matched only by her unique fundraising capabilities. On Giving Hearts Day, she routinely raised six figures on behalf of St. Gerard’s Community of Care in Hankinson. Despite representing a small organization in a small town, there was nothing small about the way she thought. It served as an annual reminder to all of us of what’s possible when you’re driven by a genuine desire to make the world a better place. (She was also probably the most effective long-term care lobbyist the North Dakota legislature has ever seen!)

She made you feel like the most important and special person in the world and wrote the kind of thank you notes that you keep with you for life.

It was clear her life was built on a solid foundation of faith, family, and service.

She was a constant source of light who brought peace and joy to any room she ever entered.

Thank you, sister, for guiding our way, and may you rest in peace.