Beatrice "Bea" Bale

Bea Bale, 87, passed away Tuesday, January 30, 2018, at a Mandan care facility. Services will be held at 1:00 pm Monday, February 5, at the Mandan United Methodist Church, 610 12th St NW, Mandan, with Rev. Bruce Adams and Rev. Perry Schnabel officiating. Visitation will be held from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Sunday, February 4, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Burial will be held at 3:00 pm Monday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Beatrice L. Bale was born September 28, 1930, to William (Bill) and Christina (Holweger) Grabau on a farm ten miles west of Thompson, North Dakota. She attended a one-room rural schoolhouse and even advanced two grades in one year. She graduated high school at Grand Forks, ND, and then attended The University of North Dakota where she graduated with a degree in Social Work with honors. She met her future husband, Robert Bale, at UND in a “Marriage and Courtship” class. They were married August 8, 1952, at Pleasant View Evangelical United Brethren Church in rural Grand Forks County. They then lived a short time in Fargo and Bismarck before making their home in Mandan in 1957. They had two children, son Bruce and daughter Kris, and one granddaughter, Lauren Bale. Bea was active in church, beginning to play piano and organ for church and Sunday school at age eleven. She also used her beautiful soprano voice in many solos, ensembles and choirs. In 1957 she and Bob became charter members of Church of the Good Shepherd EUB in Mandan now known as Mandan United Methodist Church. She had a teacher’s heart and taught piano and organ in her home for many years. She began teaching piano after her young son played a piano piece for a church Christmas program and other families wanted Bea to teach their children too. She loved music, reading, gardening, bird watching, her special cats and dogs, traveling back roads with family for animal and scenery gazing, and camping. She especially loved camping trips to Holland Lake, Montana. She also had an artist’s heart. She loved Chinese paintings and tried her hand at drawing, floral arrangements and anything creative. She made holidays and birthdays special for her family with decorations, making special meals and cookie baking. She is survived by Bob, her loving husband of sixty-five years; son, Bruce and his daughter, Lauren, her precious granddaughter; daughter, Kris (Joel) Winckler; and former daughter-in-law, Deb Bale. She was preceded in death by her parents and many beloved furry companions.   Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure. God has you in his arms. We’ll forever have you in our hearts – Mom, we will miss you – the twinkle in your eye, the laughter in your smile, and the love for us in your heart.