Esther Holleque

Esther Marie Holleque passed away on July 26, 2009 at MeritCare Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota. Born to Pastor George and Alma Hammer Ulvilden in 1922, she grew up in Toronto, South Dakota and graduated from high school in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Her home was always filled with music, and Esther at an early age began voice, piano, and violin lessons. She graduated from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa in 1944 with a double major in English and Music. After one year of teaching, Esther married Richard Holleque who had just been ordained into the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Through the years, Esther was very involved in the life of the parishes and communities that her husband served, and together they raised five children. The family moved to Fargo in 1968 when Pastor Holleque began serving at Olivet Lutheran Church. As a member of Olivet, she served as director of the Olivet Senior Choir until 1984 and undertook leadership roles in worship and the arts. Esther was a violinist in the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, a member of the Symphony Women’s Association, Olivet’s Board of Worship, Friends of the Opera, FM Opera Board, PEO, Mu Phi Epsilon, the Fine Arts Club, and a volunteer at Bethany Home. She is known for her generous, gracious, and compassionate nature. She is survived by four of her children, Kathryn, Erik, and his wife, Mary, Elizabeth, and her husband Stan, Peter; six grandchildren, Kristine, and her husband David Lower, Matthew, Richard, Micah, Kate, and Giacomo; her sister, Kathryn Ulvilden Moen; son-in-law, Timothy Running; and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Holleque, her daughter, Sarah Running, and her brother, Richard Ulvilden, and two infant siblings. Memorial Service: Thursday, July 30, 2009, 11:00 am at Olivet Lutheran Church, Fargo, ND. Burial: Riverside Cemetery, Fargo, ND.