The funeral service for Sylvia Nathan, 96, Valley City, North Dakota will be 10:30 am Thursday, June 22, 2023 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Valley City. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the church. Burial will be in Memory Gardens, rural Valley City. She passed away Friday morning, June 16, at SMP Health-St Raphael, Valley City.
Sylvia Iris Slater was born March 12, 1927, near Selfridge, North Dakota, she was the daughter of Herbert and Clara (Hoffman) Slater. Sylvia was the youngest of nine children. She attended school in the Selfridge and Fort Yates area before the family moved to the Blabon, North Dakota area where she attended school and later at Minnie Lake school and then in Hope, North Dakota. The family moved to a farm north of Oriska. Sylvia was united in marriage to Otto Nathan on May 11, 1942, in Finley, North Dakota. After Otto’s US Navy service they farmed near Oriska from 1946 until moving to a farm northeast of Hope in 1971. After 40 years of farming, they retired in 1986 and moved to Valley City. They spent many winters in Arizona. Otto passed away on October 5, 2016.
Sylvia liked gardening, canning produce, crocheting, reading, and working crossword puzzles. She was a great hostess, always having enough food to serve company that would just stop by or be invited for lunch or coffee. Sylvia taught confirmation class at Minnie Lake Lutheran Church and taught Sunday school and vacation Bible school both at Minnie Lake and Redeemer Lutheran Church in Hope. Sylvia was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and WELCA and a longtime member of the Weimer Homemakers Club. Jesus was always special in her life. She spent many hours reading and studying the Bible.
She loved her family very much and is survived by her two sons and daughters-in-law, Dennis and JoAnn Nathan, Valley City; Gary and Shari Nathan, Hayward, Wisconsin; five grandchildren, Jeff Nathan (Bobbi Jo), Wendy (David) Johnson, Daniel (Nancy) Nathan, Sarah Bailey, Nicole Nathan (Chas); eight great grandchildren, Erica (Brian) Eggers, Joshua (Samantha) Nathan, Amber (Carl) Pederson, Blake Mahler, Cole Mahler, Kelsey (Jason) Christen, Matthew Nathan, Sydney Nathan, Nathan Bailey, and Jacob Bailey;14 great great grandchildren, Jayden Pederson, Nora Pederson, Britta Pederson, Theodore Pederson, Audrey Eggers, Nolan Eggers, Micah Eggers, Brynn Nathan, Harper Nathan, Rowan Nathan, Hunter Christen and Easton Christen. She is also survived by a sister-in-law Helen Slater, Fargo, North Dakota and several nieces and nephews.
Sylvia was preceded in death by her husband, granddaughter-in-law Teresa Nathan, five sisters, three brothers and her parents.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Oliver-Nathan Funeral Chapel, Valley City. An online guestbook is available at www.olivernathanchapel.com