Hildegarde Sodawasser

We said goodbye to Hildegarde Elaine Sodawasser on Dec 10, 2020. A vibrant and active Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, sister. aunt and friend to so many. Much as in her life, she was surrounded by many family members and good friends.

Hilde was born the 5th Child out of 12 to Anton Rausch and Margaret Steiner at St Placidus, near Mott, ND On Feb 21st, 1930.

            Hilde shared her life with her husband Gilbert for 59 Years. Together they purchased the Sodawasser farm which was homesteaded by Gilbert's Grandfather. There, they raised their 6 children. Hilde was never afraid of hard work in the house, barn or the field.  Her babies were delivered at Mrs. Louks maternity home in Kensal. Hilde said, It was the closest thing to a vacation she had.  This is where the stories begin.......

            Enjoying some fun with friends at an auction. They surprised themselves by buying the Courtenay Bar. Hilde loved the social life the business brought to them. The bar was named the Happy Landing because it was the gathering place for the surrounding communities as well as Courtenay. Oh, the stories that could be told.........

            Between this adventure and the next, they built a beautiful home overlooking Spiritwood Lake.  Here they enjoyed many years of fun and friendship. Oh the stories .....

            They sold the Happy Landing and joined their boys in a new venture. They named the new business Sodawasser and Sons Custom Combining. The 8 to 10 family members caravanned through many states including Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and South Dakota doing harvesting. As always, making many new friends along the way. Oh the stories .......

            This left the winters for more leisure time for Hilde who never sat idle. She was a very competitive card player.

You could always find her playing a round of cards with friends. She shared this passion with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The last big adventure was the purchase of the Spirit Inn Bar. For 20 years it provided a gathering place for one and all. Hilde did her famous Saturday free soup lunch. She organized fishing derbies, pool leagues, rocky mountain oyster feeds and many other unique and fun events to entertain the community. Oh the stories ....

After losing her husband Gilbert, Hilde retired and spent many enjoyable years living at the lake. Hilde enjoyed the the wild turkey, deer and and many card games with her neighbors and friends. During this time, she, her brother Joe and her children enjoyed many vacations together. Exploring sunny locations including Spain, Puerto Rico, San Diego, Puerto Vallarta, and Nicaragua. along with an Alaskan cruise and a  trip down the Mississippi on a paddle wheel river boat. She was very adventurous and loved to laugh. She also made several trips to spend time with her daughters and their families on the west coast. It was at one of these visits her granddaughter organized a memorable Sodawasser sleepover. No men allowed! Oh the stories.......

At 83 Hilde decided it was time to move to town. She chose to live in one of the apartment buildings that she and Gilbert had built. This allowed her to be close to many grand and great grandchildren who also loved to play cards. Hilde delighted in her relationship with each and every one of them. Mia, being the youngest great grandchild, always wanted to spend time with Grandma, and Grandma made it special.    She continued an active life, spending Saturdays out at the family farm with Gilly and family, trips to SD to visit Mark and family, spending time at LuAnn‘s farm playing games and doing crafts, trips to Wyoming to visit grandchildren, bus Trips to the casinos, plays, and other activities with friends.

She was active in the Catholic Church. Still helping with the annual rummage sales until this year. She drew her strength from God. She prayed constantly but never wore her religion on her sleeve. Without God’s help no person could have mustered up all that courage over the years. For Hilde's 85th birthday her entire family and friends celebrated at a family reunion at Camp Rokiwan. A great time was had by all. Oh the stories.....

            Preceding Hilde in death were: husband Gilbert, daughter Wendy, grandson Sam Jeske, her parents and 9 siblings. Hilde is survived by sons Gill (and Sandy) Courtenay, ND, Mark (Carla) Redfield, SD.   Daughters Julee (Steve Taylor) Albany OR, Cheri (John Grocott) Ilwaco, WA. LuAnn (Darrell Martin) Courtenay, ND. 2 brothers Joseph Rausch San Diego Tony (Karen) Rausch Great Falls MT. Numerous nieces and nephews.  Family of the heart Gerry Palmer and Kris LaDucer and so many more.  Most importantly to Hilde her 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

                        With the COVID restrictions and concerns, the family has chosen to schedule a mass and celebration of Hilde’s life at a later date. If you choose to share a Hilde story, the family would enjoy that. You can do so above.

In lieu of flowers, kindly make donations in Hilde's name to JRMC hospice in Jamestown (Link  Below).  As Hilde always said: “When God has a room ready for you, God will call you”