Belle Kvale

On January 10, 2023, at the age of 97, surrounded by family, Belle Marie Kvale went peacefully from life on earth to life in the presence of Jesus, her Lord and Savior.

Funeral services for Belle will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at the Calvary Lutheran Church in Lemmon, SD.  Pastor Charlotte Kvale and Tim Holdahl will officiate with burial to follow in the Greenhill Cemetery at Lemmon.

Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. followed by a family service at 7:00 p.m. all on Friday, January 13, 2023 at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD.

Belle was born September 15, 1925, to Ransom H. and Edna (Cunningham) Walter in Adams County, North Dakota. She attended a three-room school at North Lemmon and graduated from Lemmon High School in 1943, walking over a mile each way to school. Belle was a very good speller and competed in the county spelling bee several times. She enjoyed playing baseball and was a fast runner.

After high school Belle worked for Brodsky’s Market, then attended Northern State College in Aberdeen, graduating with a bookkeeping degree. While attending college, she worked at Socony Vacuum. Upon returning to Lemmon, she worked for Braught’s Super Valu. She married Norman Kvale on July 9, 1949, and they celebrated over 64 years together.

She and Norman had four children: Richard, Dale, Tim and Beverly. She always raised a big garden and did lots of canning. She drove the silage truck, did the farm bookkeeping, brought home-cooked meals with homemade bread and desserts to feed those helping work cattle, and did all the other things a farm wife does. She was a member of the Happy Hour Extension Club, Calvary Lutheran Church, and was a 4-H Leader. She and Norman enjoyed being a part of the neighborhood Card Club and spent many fun evenings with neighbors and friends.

After the children were grown, she spent her Wednesdays in town quilting at Calvary Lutheran in the mornings, having lunch at the church, and then bowling in a Ladies league. She made sleeping bags for the homeless and quilts for Calvary graduates. After taking a dance class at the Steakhouse, Belle and Norman spent many evenings on the dance floor. They were members of the Morristown Dance Club.

Belle and Norman were avid supporters of the Boss Cowman celebration and were selected as Boss Cowman Honorees in 2002.

Later in life, Belle started writing poetry. If you got a Christmas or birthday card from Belle, it probably included a personalized poem. She did daily crosswords and kept a diary until 1998 when her eyesight started to fail. She loved games, especially word and card games, with Quiddler becoming a favorite.

Once Belle’s eyesight became too bad, she moved into Five Counties Nursing Home. There she enjoyed bingo and playing Quiddler with her visitors.

Grateful for sharing her life are her children, Richard & Jonetta (Tuscon), Dale & Mary, Tim & Charlotte, Bev & Tim Holdahl (Dickinson); her sister, Ella Johnson (Groton); 12 grandchildren: Dan (Stacy) Kvale, Mitchell; Anne (Matt) Young, Phoenix; Rebecca (Donald) Case, Anthem; John Kvale, Tucson; Lilianna (Jacob) Turpin, Tucson; Clint (Jennifer) Kvale, Lemmon; Mandy Kvale, Lemmon ; Jarid (Lara) Kvale, Sioux Falls; Jade (Louisa) Kvale, Baltic; Jordan (Jayma) Kvale, Mandan; Sarah (Grant) Wicken, Bismarck; Katrina Wiesinger, Lemmon; 28 great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Belle was preceded in death by her husband, Norman Kvale; her parents, Ransom & Edna Walter; her siblings and their spouses; Allen & Dorothy Walter, Alice Walter, Barton Walter, Gladys & Gil Baldwin, Phyllis & Jim Riddle, Donald & Norma Walter, Merton Johnson, and Clara & Burton Leonard; and Norman’s siblings, Harold Kvale, Irene & Rollin Young, and Thelma & Bill Lemke.

Condolences may be sent through our website and the livestream viewed at www.evansonjensenfuneralhome.com.