Kathleen Joyce Grignon

Celebration of Life: https://vimeo.com/event/4410718

Tribute Video: https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/9CSZXHR5TBXYMLD7

Kathleen Joyce (Herbison) Grignon died peacefully on 12/17/23 at the age of 93 in her cabin on Round Lake. She had been in the care of her loving family for 18 months with
the support of Hospice of the Red River Valley.

Kay was born 2/19/29 in Grafton, ND, to Herbert Wright and Pearl Marie (Brayton) Herbison. She was the second of 4 girls, raised in Minnewauken and later Fargo, ND. She
graduated from Fargo High School in 1947 and earned a degree in Home Economics in 1951 from North Dakota State University.

She met her future husband, Romeo (Ro) Duane Grignon, in 6th grade, married him on December 26th, 1950, in a candlelight service surrounded by roses and pine. Thereafter,
they were known as "Ro and Kay". They were married for 72 years.

Following college graduation, Kay took a job in Wisconsin teaching school in order to help pay for Ro's college. After he completed his graduate studies, they moved to Rolla, ND, where they taught school prior to Ro starting his television career. Kay fondly recalled how her students came and cared for her following the birth of her son Peter.

Kay and Ro raised five children and moved nine times for Ro's work. They lived in North Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Minnesota, but they returned every summer to Kay's favorite place in the world...Round Lake. They finally moved to the lake full-time in 1983 following Ro's short-lived retirement. They spent a few years in Fargo at Touchmark, but Kay returned to the lake following Ro's death in 2022.

Kay loved nature and the outdoors, even as a young girl. She came to Round Lake in 1939 at age ten and reveled in a woodland home that had an outdoor biffy, no electricity, a woodburning stove, an icehouse, and all the freedom she could dream of to explore this wild place.

Kay loved to swim, kayak, and cross-country ski with her dear friend Ruth Bergquist. She could be found playing in the water with her great-grandchildren into her 90s. She was active in the lake community, serving in the Lakes Association and the North Country Trail development. She was a strong supporter of the Tamarac Wildlife Refuge.

Kay is survived by her son, David Lund Grignon (Mary) of South Lake Tahoe, CA; daughter, Judith Kathleen Grignon-Hoiriis (David), of Minnetonka, MN; daughters-in-law, Mary Kim Grignon of Overland Park, KS, and Evelyn Grignon of Hopkins, MN; as well as ten grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and her three sisters, Mary Wenger, Nancy Thorndal, and Phyllis Erickson; her husband, Ro; and sons, Peter, Alan, and John.

The family plans a shared celebration of life for Kay and Ro on Saturday, June 29th, 2024, at 11:00 at the Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home, 215 7th St. S, Fargo, ND 58103. If so inclined, the family suggests memorials to Round and Ice Cracking Lakes Association Environmental Fund or the Salvation Army in Fargo. Please feel free to share memories or condolences at www.hansonrunsvold.com .

The family gives special thanks to the caregivers at Hospice of the Red River Valley, whose loving care and attention always brightened our days!