Margery J Zich

Margery Guenther O’Neil Zich, 97, has moved upstairs. Margery passed away on February 2, 2017, at Missouri Slope Care Center surrounded by her family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Church of St. Anne on Saturday, February 4, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Corey Nelson officiating. Cremation has already taken place. Burial will take place at a later date at the Beulah Cemetery. Margery was born October 16, 1919, to Velma (Meng) and Benjamin Guenther in Killdeer, ND. She grew up on a farm north of Dunn Center, ND, and attended a rural grade school across the road from the farm. She attended high school in Werner, ND, but graduated from Dunn Center High School in 1937 as valedictorian of her class. She boarded in Dunn Center with her siblings during the week. In winter months, her father would bring them back to the farm by horse and sleigh. After graduation, she worked as a housekeeper at the Connolly Ranch a few miles from her home. It was at the ranch where she fell in love with Pat O’Neil, who was also employed there. Margery had always dreamed of becoming a nurse, and Evelyn Connolly, her employer and mentor, encouraged that dream. Margery attended St. Alexius School of Nursing in Bismarck, ND, graduating as a registered nurse in 1941. She recalled Pat making the long trip to visit her and also spending her first winter in Bismarck because her family back home had diphtheria and were quarantined. During World War II, Pat enlisted in the US Coast Guard, so Margery began her career working in Sheboygan, WI, and later Dickinson, ND. When Pat came home on leave, the two decided to marry at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Beulah, ND. It was low-key ceremony held during a morning Mass on September 9, 1942, with Pat’s parents, Margery’s mother and brother, and Evelyn Connolly in attendance. A reception of beer and crackers followed at the O’Neil farm in Beulah. Shortly after the wedding, Pat returned to duty serving on the troop ship USS Chase. He was reassigned shore duty in 1943 in Jersey City, NJ, for nine months. From there, Pat was sent to Boston where he maintained yachts until he was shipped out again in 1944. Margery returned to North Dakota and worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dickinson, ND, until Pat’s discharge in 1945. They settled on a farm in Beulah, ND. Their first child, Mary Elizabeth, was stillborn on September 16, 1946. Pat and Margery were blessed with five more children, and she spent several years as a stay-at-home mom. When Pat became ill, she returned to work as a nurse at the Hazen Hospital and later at the Hazen Clinic. When the opportunity arose, Margery accepted a position as director of nurses at the Beulah Community Nursing Home. She continued her work as a nurse there until her retirement in 1983. Margery retired from nursing to marry Joseph Zich. They were married in Mott, ND, on August 26, 1983, at St. Vincent’s Catholic Church. Their combined families totaled ten children. Together they traveled the United States and achieved their goal of playing golf in all 50 states. Joe passed away in April of 2000. Once again, Margery faced a major life change with her usual dignity and grace. She moved to Bismarck at Brandon Heights until her health required yet another move to assisted living at Edgewood Vista. In 2016, she moved to the Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center. She is survived by her five children, P.A. O’Neil, Katherine Netzer (Myron), Jude Zich (Larry), Pat O’Neil (Peggy), and Maureen Schnaidt (Don); 12 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and her step-children, Patsy (Jim) Hoyhtya, Rick (Sharon) Zich, Larry (Jude) Zich, Dale (Carla) Zich, and Terry (Kathy) Zich. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Velma and Ben Guenther; her sisters, Ione and Ina Ferebee; her brothers, Milton, Ronald, Wesley, and Darrell; and her husbands, Pat and Joe. Margery faced life and its challenges head on. She was a relentless traveler and wishes to be remembered as a “saint.”