Albertine Stoltenow

Albertine “Daisy” Marie (Herzog) Stoltenow, 98, Wahpeton, ND, formerly of Great Bend, ND, passed away Sunday, May 26, 2024, at Benedictine St. Catherine’s Living Center.   The service may be viewed live on YouTube at Faith Church Wahpeton.

 Albertine was born on December 5, 1925, to Leo and Ethel (Martinson) Herzog of Kintyre, ND. A life-long lover of music, Albertine adored dancing and scrapbooking as a girl. She graduated from St. Francis Academy in Hankinson, ND, in 1943, and went on to graduate from Valley City Teacher’s College with her teaching certificate. 

 During World War II, Albertine moved to Minneapolis where she worked as a secretary at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and shared an apartment with her cousins, Agnes and Carol. A talented pianist, Albertine easily transferred her skills to this new career and could type over 100 words per minute on a manual typewriter. Albertine’s boyfriend, Earl Stoltenow (who later became her husband), was serving in the Merchant Marines and sent her chocolates and nylon stockings – items that were in short supply because of wartime rationing. 

 As the war drew to a close, Albertine moved back home and began teaching in Elma township, Richland County, where she lived at the home of one of her students. Her next teaching position was in Great Bend, ND, and her contract agreed to $155 a month but stipulated that she must also perform janitorial work. Earl called her often during their time apart, but long-distance telephone calls were nearly impossible because of party line technology, and Albertine’s students often came to school on Monday explaining what Earl had been trying to say. 

 On October 10, 1947, Albertine married her sweetheart Earl Loyal Stoltenow. She was raised Catholic and Earl was Protestant, so to avoid any religious conflicts, they invited everyone to a bridal shower and conducted a surprise wedding, “eloping” in town with their friends and family in attendance. Albertine and Earl celebrated 70 years of marriage before his passing in 2017.  

 During their first few months of marriage, they lived in Great Bend with Earl’s parents, Reuben and Emma, and Albertine continued teaching. That Thanksgiving, they moved to the farm during a blizzard. The winter of 1947-48 was particularly harsh, but Earl got her to school on time by whatever means possible, using their 1940 Ford automobile, a horse-drawn sleigh, or even a saddle horse. 

 Albertine, or “Daisy” as her family called her, was a city girl who quickly adapted to life on the farm. The day after their wedding, Earl was back in the fields harvesting corn and Albertine embraced the life of a farmer’s wife with positivity and good humor. She expected the hired farm hands to join the family for dinner at noon, used her Maytag wringer washer for 20 years, and often told her sons: “Boys, I need two chickens this morning with heads off and feathers off.” 

 Earl and Albertine were blessed with four children: Terry (1949), Rockey (1951), Cheri (1954), and Charles (1959). The boys inherited their father’s love for sports and Cheri became an accomplished musician like her mother. Albertine was there for every game and every recital, with dinner staying warm on the stove at home. 

 Albertine was active in her community and was a founding member of the Friendly Homemakers Club through the county extension service. She served for many years as a judge for local, state, and federal elections in Summit township. She kept the official scorebook for hundreds of American Legion and Babe Ruth baseball games – Earl coached in Great Bend for three decades and Albertine rarely missed a game, teaching their daughter to keep score along with her. She also found ways to incorporate music in her day-to-day, volunteering as the accompanist for the children’s choir at Evangelical United Brethren for many years and teaching piano lessons in Mooreton.  

Oftentimes, a farmer’s wife becomes a farmer herself, and Albertine was no exception. She was the farm bookkeeper and one of her most demanding tasks was on Memorial Day: the cattle were all moved to different pastures, and she had to match up each cow and calf to ensure they weren’t separated. She and Earl raised beef cattle over 70 years. She later served as state president of the Cattle Women’s Association. 

 Food and fellowship were near and dear to Albertine’s heart, and she ran a catering business called Valley Kitchens with her sister-in-law Eileen, catering weddings, receptions, and parties in the area. In their golden years, Albertine and Earl started their Pitchfork Fondue Emporium (sponsored by Stoltenow beef) and catered to commodity groups in the community, turning pitchfork fondues into a family affair. Grown children and older grandchildren cooked the steaks on pitchforks, and the younger grandchildren made cinnamon-sugar frybread and ran plates of food to the buffet line. 

 Faith was another cornerstone of Albertine’s life. She and Earl were members of the Evangelical United Brethren Church of Great Bend for many years, where Albertine served as organist, youth leader, and women's leader. They were also founding members of Faith Church in Wahpeton and started the annual community Christmas dinner that is now over 30 years old. 

 Albertine is survived by her 4 children: Terry (Sharon), Rockey (Lyn), Cheri (Kim), and Charlie; 20 grandchildren; and 35 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Earl, her parents Leo and Ethel Herzog, her sister Maxine (Ken) and brother Don (June), her parents-in-law Reuben and Emma Stoltenow, sisters-in-law Eleanor (Doc) and Eileen (Lowel), brother-in-law Manville (Alice), and granddaughter Jemma. 

Interment will be at Zion Cemetery in Great Bend, ND. The funeral service will be held Monday, June 3, 2024, at 5pm at Faith Church, 1589 11th Street North, Wahpeton, ND. The family will receive the public at 4pm and a dinner will be served immediately following the service. 

Memorials are preferred to the Faith Church Christmas Dinner, PO Box 1144, Wahpeton, ND 58074