Valborg Zander

Valborg Zander, 100, Bismarck, died July 27, 2015, at the Good Samaritan Society, Bismarck.A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Friday, September 11, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 502 North 4th Street, Bismarck, with Rev. Steve Sathre officiating.Cremation has taken place.Burial will be held at 1:00 pm Friday, September 11, at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.Valborg Buckneberg Zander was born on July 31, 1914, on a homestead near Columbus, ND, the 4th of 7 children born to Pastor Adolf Buckneberg and his wife Ida Isakson Buckneberg. Norwegian was spoken in the home, so she grew up bilingual, and translated old documents for people throughout her life. Her father was a lifelong scholar and recorder of history, and she followed in his footsteps. She became an elementary teacher, teaching first graders in North Dakota and Montana, through the Depression and WWII. After the war she met Adelbert William Zander, who had grown up on a farm near Dickinson, ND. They were married on December 26, 1947, for 53 years till his death on January 30, 2001. They raised two daughters, Janet Adele Zander and Arla Ann Frechette. The family followed Del's career with Montana Dakota Utilities, moving from Miles City, MT, to Rapid City, SD, to Minneapolis, MN, to Bismarck, ND, over the course of more than 20 years. Valborg cared for and taught the children in so many ways, once remarking that God had rewarded her years of teaching with giving her two smart girls. Her passion for extended family was marked by her interest in genealogy. Over the years she developed family trees for the Buckneberg side of the family. She spent years translating her father's diary of 37 years from Norwegian, which gave a fascinating picture of life as a Lutheran pastor in the early 20th century, serving multiple rural parishes. A copy of this has been placed in the North Dakota Heritage Society. Her constant joy in living, her endless curiosity, and her patient acceptance of the physical losses of aging were truly remarkable, sustaining her to 4 days short of her 101st birthday, with her death on July 27, 2015. She is sorely missed, but we are so blessed to have had her as a model of all the good things in life. Any memorials could be directed to the music fund at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck, or to the charity of one's choice.