Kathryn Buchholtz

Kathryn Buchholtz, 90, Bismarck, died December 8, 2018, at Sanford Health.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Thursday, December 13, at Church of St. Anne, 1321 Braman Ave, Bismarck, with Rev. Tom Grafsgaard officiating.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Wednesday, December 12, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 East Divide Avenue, Bismarck, where a vigil service will begin at 7:00 pm.

Burial will be held at 1:00 pm Thursday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Kathryn was born on February 16, 1928, in Karlsruhe, ND, to George and Johanna (Black) Gange. She had five brothers and four sisters. They lived on a farm and she attended St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, where she was baptized and confirmed. Kathryn attended a rural school and walked 1 ½ miles one way to school each day with her brothers and sisters.

In 1947, Kathryn enrolled in Christie Beauty School in Bismarck. After graduating in 1948, she worked at the Grand Pacific Hotel Beauty Shop and the Pampered Lady Salon. In 1969, she opened her very own beauty salon, “Capri.” She owned and operated it until 1977, when she sold it and retired, and became her grandchildren’s daycare. Kathryn’s hair was always styled impeccably, and she cut, colored, and permed both her daughter and granddaughters’ hair for decades. She met Earl Buchholtz when he was home on furlough from the Navy in Bismarck in 1949, and they were married April 12, 1950. They made their home in Bismarck and had a daughter on September 11, 1950, whom they named Sharon.

Kay and Earl loved to travel in their younger years. They traveled to Hawaii, London, Virgin Islands, Holland, Paris, as well as many places in the United States and took several cruises. Kay loved to play cards, especially pinochle, she belonged to a card club, loved to watch Lawrence Welk, cook and bake, and everything she made was delicious. Her freezer was always stocked with soup, meals, and goodies. She loved sewing, watching old westerns, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. When she was still in her house, she loved to plant and tend to a huge garden; there was always fresh garden lettuce, peas, and strawberries. Her flower gardens were beautiful, she spent hours watering, pulling weeds, and making bouquets. Her lilac trees were also amazing.

Kay was a tremendous part of her grandkids and great-grandkids lives. She still loved to cook and bake for them, but mostly just enjoyed being with them. She especially enjoyed Justin picking her up and going on a nice country drive to Kristle’s and Jess’s house, where they would probably eat her beloved pizza and laugh.

Kay resided in Mandan the past two years, where Sharon was her “chauffeur,” and they enjoyed running errands together. In 2016, Kay was blessed to become a great-grandma, to Jaxon Kash, Kristle’s son. They were the best of buddies and she always called him her “pure joy.” She always had apple fritters and soup for him and he’d steal her chair as soon as she got us, and they’d laugh and laugh. He couldn’t run down her hallway fast enough to get to her apartment. GiGi and Jax had an incredibly special bond. He was the light of her life and she was the light of ours. Kay was the most beautiful person, inside and out. Everyone loved and respected her. She will be missed tremendously but is now holding Earl’s hand and rocking her baby girl, Joan, and watching over all of us.

Kathryn is survived by her daughter, Sharon (Bob) Haider, Mandan; granddaughter, Kristle (Jesse) Fried, Mandan; grandson, Justin Haider, Bismarck; great-grandson, Jaxon Fried; two sisters, Irene Sundstrom, Bismarck, and Diana Bergren, TX; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Kathryn was preceded in death by her husband, Earl; her infant daughter, Joan; her parents; her sisters, Agatha Volk, Jean Wald; and her five brothers, Emanuel, Carl, George, Tony, and Raymond.