Viona "Vi" Lutness

Vi Lutness, 98, Bismarck, died December 30, 2019, at Missouri Slope Lutheran Home in Bismarck. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 502 N 4^th St, Bismarck, with the Rev. Lee Herberg officiating. Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Visitation will be held from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5 at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E Divide Ave, Bismarck.

Viona Lenore Carlson was born in Karlstad, MN on October 1, 1921, the daughter of Victor and Isolene Carlson. She grew up in Kennedy, MN – while in high school there she sang in the women’s ensemble and played the organ at Mariah Lutheran Church. She attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, graduating in 1943 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and minoring in Music. She taught High School English at Elbow Lake, MN and Casselton, ND.

She married Magnus Lutness on February 15, 1944, while World War II was raging. Mag enlisted in the Navy, shipping overseas less than a month after they were married, finally returning home on February 14, 1946. Vi worked at the Navy Overseas Terminal in San Francisco during that time.

Vi and Mag lived in St. Paul while he attended the seminary, then moved to Hettinger, ND in 1949, where Mag was the Pastor of Hettinger Lutheran Church. In July 1954 the family moved to Bismarck, ND, to serve at Trinity Lutheran Church. In 1967, Mag was appointed to serve on the Lutheran Council USA in Washington DC, and the family moved there until 1988, when they both retired. They returned to Bismarck, because they loved the community and the church and their dear friends.

Although a naturally quiet person, she did her best to embrace the role of the Pastor’s wife, serving jointly in her husband’s ministry.

She was a worker, holding various jobs, including secretary in the Guidance Office at Bismarck High School, secretary at Christ Lutheran Church and at Grace Lutheran Church in Washington DC, secretary at the National Institute of Health for five years, and secretary at the Department of Energy for ten years.

Vi was active in her church in Children’s Choir, where she was the rehearsal accompanist, the sometime organist, and the assistant director; in Circle # 9; and in the Wednesday Women’s Bible Study. She was active in her community, in the Sons of Norway, the American Legion Auxiliary, the PTA, and the Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center Auxiliary. She did Hardanger embroidery and Rosemåling. She was a seamstress, an artist, a poet, a devoted mother, a loving grandmother and great-grandmother, and a staunch friend.

Viona lived her Faith. She believed that complaints are not what make a good life, so she did her best to accept all circumstances and to trust God for guidance. We loved her dearly and we miss her. She touched our hearts, and for this we are grateful.

Love from Victoria, Mark, Paula, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and friends.

To God be the Glory.