Darleen Mildred Ferragut

Darleen M. Ferragut of Fargo passed away peacefully surrounded by loving family, and under the excellent care of Hospice of the Red River Valley, on August 27, after a long and defiant fight against Alzheimer's.

Darleen was born October 14, 1926 to Walter and Mildred Wilson in Hibbing, Minnesota. She graduated from Hibbing High School, Hibbing Junior College and the Katharine Gibb College in Chicago.

While working in Chicago, she met James (Jim) S. Ferragut, a charming Italian boy from Boston, fresh from WWII. They fell in love, married in 1947, and lived in Chicago until Jim was transferred to Duluth, Minnesota where their first two children, Wilson and James were born. There was another job transfer to Minneapolis, and then to Fargo, where they decided to make their permanent home, and where third son, Michael was born.

Darleen epitomized the post World War II baby boom mother. She was involved in PTA, was a weekly volunteer at St. Luke's Hospital and an active member at Olivet Lutheran Church. But it was her role as a stay-at-home mom that defined her.

She was a gentle woman of sophistication and class, with the spirit of a teenager. It's where her children learned to love the arts as she filled her home with Broadway theater musicals and the music of Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte and Julie London. Once the Beatles hit the world stage, she left the old music behind and would listen to everyone from The Beatles to The Doors. It was in 1967 when she told her son James, “Jimmy, I was born 2 generations too early!”

Darleen was a safe haven for her children; the mom who would listen, counsel, encourage and support. She was a tireless letter writer when the kids flew the nest and continued until she was no longer able.

Darleen loved her Pelican Lake “cottage”, was a Blue Ribbon Champion Winner in Cross Stitching, loved traveling with her husband and she treasured her Broadway Theater escapes to New York and London. She was a voracious reader who always had a book within reach.

She is survived by husband, Jim; sons, Wilson (Los Angeles), James (Terri) (Fargo), and Michael (Minneapolis); grandchildren, Cindy Froesch (Kansas City, MO), Dr. Justin Ferragut (Peoria, IL), Ashley Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK), Lauren Ferragut (Geneva, NY), and Gabriel Ferragut (Fargo) and four great-grandchildren.

A private family service was held at Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home on August 29. In lieu of flowers or cards, Darleen's family would be grateful if memorials were directed to the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org.