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Hannig, age 91 of Valley City died Tuesday June 23, 2015 at the Sheyenne Care Center in Valley City. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 2 PM Saturday, June 27, 2015 at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Valley City with Msgr. Dennis Skonseng celebrant. Visitation will be from 5PM until 7PM Friday at the Lerud-Schuldt Funeral Home. Interment will be in St. Catherine’s Cemetery.
Lucille Lauretta Ertelt was born on November 3, 1923, the fourth child of Joseph G. and Gertrude (Kohler) Ertelt.
Lucille, along with her brothers and sisters were raised on a farm in Cuba Township. Times were lean, particularly during the 1930’s but, as Lucille said, “Dad and Mom always got us through the hard times and we never went without the things we needed.”
Lucille completed her elementary education in a rural schoolhouse in 1937 and graduated from Valley City High School in 1941. In September, 1941, she married Harry Hannig, a union which lasted 72 years.
They had the same goal, to own land and make a living farming. However, World War II interrupted their plans. Harry enlisted in the Army and Lucille, along with her friend Doris Nicoli, went out west to Oregon to work in the shipyards. Her father’s sister, Clara Schneider, took both of them under her wing and watched over them. Lucille always said that “Aunt Clara had the patience of a saint and a heart of gold.”
Lucille and Doris were both welders and often wondered how those ships held together because they didn’t think they were too good at welding.
After the war, Lucille and Harry reunited and started to make their dream come true. They used all their savings, bought land and went to work. It took a great deal of toil, sweat and back breaking work but that dream became a reality. Lucille worked every bit as hard as Harry, driving truck, milking cows, feeding pigs and chickens, tending a large garden, and having and caring for six children.
There were good times, there were bad times, but Lucille was the glue that held everything together.
Somewhere, somehow, Lucille found the time to knit, crochet and embroider, and she made many beautiful afghans, blankets, sweaters, slippers and mittens. Every family member has been gifted with some piece of her handiwork.
Lucille and Harry retired and moved to Valley City in the 1990’s. Lucille continued her lifelong love of gardening and of course, knitting and crocheting, keeping busy and enjoying a life well lived.
Lucille is survived by six children, Lyman (Sally) Hannig, Valley City, ND, Joel (Diane) Hannig, Silver City, NM, Eileen Hannig, Valley City, ND, Jeffrey (Jean) Hannig, Fargo, ND, Teresa (Jerome) Garrahy, Oriska, ND and Jonathan Hannig, Oriska, ND; 12 grandchildren, Kailee Hannig, Billy Hannig, Danielle Jacobson, Chelsey Hannig, Steven Hannig, Sean Flanagan, Ben Hannig, Elizabeth Hannig, Josh (Anne) Garrahy, Tricia (Justin) Bearinger, Christopher Garrahy and Jonathan (Shauna) Garrahy; 16 great-grandchildren, Aleysia, Lily, Conner, Zoe, Casper, Jaila, Liam, Gabriel, Brooklyn, Bailey, Soren, Taylor, Jocelyn, Jillian, Parker and McKenna; one brother-in-law, Gordon Hannig, Valley City, ND; and one sister-in-law, Grace Fischer, Gaithersburg, MD.
Lucille is preceded in death by her husband, Harry Hannig, parents, brothers, Norbert, Donald, Lester and Gary, sisters, Helen Bertsch and Marcie Hannig, one grandson, Michael Hannig, one granddaughter, Nicole Bjerke, and one great-grandson, Zayne Bjerke.
The family would like to express a thank you to Bridgeview Estates and the Sheyenne Care Center for their loving care. Memorials are preferred to the March of Dimes and Hospice of the Red River Valley.
An online guest book is available at lerudschuldt.com.