Catherine Dorothy Stockert

Catherine Dorothy Stockert was born on August 2, 1926 in the city of Amidon, ND, and died on the 21st of December, 2017. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am Friday, December 29, at Church of St. Mary, 806 E. Broadway Ave., Bismarck, with Rev. Msgr. Gene Lindemann officiating. Burial will be held at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Thursday, December 28, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a rosary/vigil will begin at 7:00 pm. Her childhood was spent on the family farm, where she grew up amongst the original German relatives that came to North Dakota from the Plains and Steeps of the Russian Ukraine. On the Original Stockert Homestead, lying just south of Amidon ND, it was the beginning of the harvest season when Catherine was born to Grandpa John and Grandma Regina as the 9th oldest of 12 brothers and sisters. She spent much of her early life as Mothers helper and went to school through the third grade whereas being able to read, write and do simple math was the only educational objective for girls of this generation. When she grew to about 12 years old she began to learn how to be a Mother and later on in life how to be a good wife to a husband. In those days, life was hard for those on the Northern Plains but deep within these people was the indomitable spirit of life that they tempered with hard work and self-discipline. By the time Catherine was 20 years old she had mastered the skills of how to raise a large family with meager means and with a sense of pride and determination that only a pioneer could have cultivated. On March 26, 1946 she married Leo Carl Stockert in a simple Mass Ceremony at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New England, ND. Therefrom, Mr. and Mrs. Leo C Stockert went on in life to give birth to 14 children, consisting of 8 sons and 6 daughters who they named (oldest to youngest) Donna, Lawrence, Linda, Gerard, Patricia, Sandra, Michael, Paul, Maurice, Jeffrey, Brenda, Keven, Brian and Jeanine. As these too matured they gifted Leo and Catherine 33 Grandchildren, and later still 53 Great-Grandchildren and 11 Great-Great-Grandchildren. Therefore, at this point in time (2017), both Leo and Catherine have directly touched and influenced the lives of 111 people. Leo C. Stockert died on March 1, 1992 at the age of 67 years and Catherine went on to live another 25 years. Accordingly, Catherine’s lifespan covered 6 generations of Stockert’s, and at 91 years of age, became the last remaining Matriarch of her generation. She is survived by one remaining brother, Anton. She was preceded in death by her husband Leo; son, Maurice; grandsons, Ryan and Eric Stockert and a granddaughter Melissa. Catherine always had a soft-spot for “the Little Ones” that she delightfully cradled in her arms as a mother hen would do with her brood of chicks. Her rocking chair was always filled with children who were comforted in times of fear and made to feel grateful in times of good blessings as she sang soft melodies to them from her heart. She always loved the sound of a new-born baby and loved to cuddle them in a warm colorful soft hand-made baby quilt that she made for each of the “Little Ones” who she loved so deeply. She guided her little ones and taught them how to pray and how to love one another as her own mother had taught her to do so very long ago. Even though Catherine’s soft and gentle ways were used most of the time, she also had a more forceful method she would use to teach a Stubborn Boy or Girl who insisted on trying her patience.   For Catherine, there was always room for one more tiny voice as she went about quietly doing the things that she believed a Mother and wife should do. She loved to cook, take care of her family, and delighted her children and husband, with the making of traditional “German Dough Dishes” to feed their hungry bodies. She was an amazing woman who could feed an entire family from the simple makings of flour, yeast, a pinch of salt and ½ cup of sugar. Catherine spent an entire lifetime loving and caring for other people as everyone that knew her would say that she would always put the need of others ahead of her own. Catherine was a Wonderful Catholic Woman who prayed the rosary many times for her families. She loved the Church and its Sacraments. Her greatest spiritual gift was her love of the Catholic Mass and afterward talking to the people she knew. Her faith was complete and as deep as any person’s faith can ever be and upon that faith she unceasingly prayed for her family and those who would ask for her prayers. Mom saw herself as a “Grossmutter” (“grandmother” in German) whose most important role was to pray unceasingly to God for the welfare of her Family. Her family now brings her to the Church for her last Mass and the Blessings of the Church on the road to a blessed and exceedingly joyful reunion with all the peoples of her past. To her remaining family, here on Earth, there will always remain a single star shining forth in the quiet deep stillness of a winter night, shining forth with a twinkle of Catherine’s life that reaches out, here on Earth, to the many souls who will unceasingly celebrate her great gift of Motherhood for all eternity.