Sylvia Golke

Sylvia Golke, 89, Bismarck, died at her winter home in Mesa, Arizona on February 9, 2019 of natural causes.    Services will be held at 11:00 am Monday, May 6, at Faith Lutheran Church, 1402 E. Avenue C., Bismarck, with Rev. Sylvia Bull officiating. Burial will be at the Immanuel Cemetery at New Leipzig.  The family will be available at the church one hour prior to the funeral for visitation.        Sylvia was born on June 18, 1929 in New Leipzig, ND, to Arthur and Pauline (Roehl) Golke.  She attended school there, and , upon graduation, moved to Bismarck to attend business college and seek employment.  She was employed by Interstate Bakeries AKA Sweetheart Bread and became the office manager of the Bismarck location until her retirement in 1992.   While in school, Sylvia became interested in sports, and she was quite an asset as a sprinter on the girls' high school track team.  She played softball, and, after moving to Bismarck, she joined the fast pitch softball league as an outfielder, serving on the Bismarck Merchants team, which took state titles in 1954 and 1955.  With softball, she made many lifelong friends, including Helen Kavonius, her longtime companion.  After they sold their individual homes, they were able to enjoy Bismarck and Mesa homes, as well as their cabin at Lake Isabel, which they had for many years.  After becoming friendly with the Kavonius sisters, she also went on to become active in bowling for many years.  They enjoyed numerous bowling trips and made good friends in several states.  They also traveled to many national tournaments and were able to do a lot of sight-seeing around the country.  She had such good memories and stories about those trips.  Sylvia was inducted into the North Dakota Bowling Hall of Fame.    Sylvia had many talents.  She had a lovely soprano voice, and sang at twenty-one weddings and other events, as well.  She enjoyed being creative, and worked on ceramics for many years, also trying her hand at beadwork and crochet.  Active at Faith Lutheran Church, Sylvia attended services and bible study regularly.  She also sang in the choir.  She had a strong faith and spoke often of her Creator and Savior.  She was a lovely lady with a very kind and gentle nature, and also had a good sense of humor. Sylvia is survived by a number of cousins, including, Edgar (Carol) Hintz, Hazel Achtenberg, Deloris Merbach, and Lauren (Mike) Sterlacci, to name a few.  She is also survived by Helen Kavonius and Helen's family members that she regarded as her own, friends such as Jack and Shellie Nelson, and her Siamese cat, Toulouse Lautrec, her nightly bed partner.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Arnold, who was killed in a plane crash on his way home from his service in Europe in WWII, and her sister, Gleidis. Memorial gifts may be specified for Faith Lutheran Church of Bismarck or Immanuel Lutheran Church of New Leipzig or the Central Dakota Humane Society in Mandan.