Lois Vogel

Lois Margaret Hess Fluetsch Vogel died peacefully in her sleep at Sanford Hospital in Fargo on May 9, 2014, after a long, productive, and active life. Lois was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, on August 8,1914, to Rev. Edward C. and Eda (Frey) Hess. After the death of her mother when she was three followed by the death of her father three years later, Lois went to live with her maternal aunt and uncle Florence (Frey) and Christian Fluetsch. She took their name and was eventually adopted by them.

Lois attended Jamestown High School and Jamestown College, from which she graduated with a major in English in the midst of the Great Depression at the age of 19. After a brief course in secretarial skills at Dakota Business College in Fargo, she was able to secure a job at the Emergency Federal Program office in St. Paul, Minnesota. Two years later she received an appointment to the European Division of the State Department in Washington, D.C. as a civil service stenographer in a secretarial pool that did work for George Kennan among other state department diplomats. At the time, the State Department office was located in the Old State War and Navy building next to the White House and she would walk to work across the White House lawn.

During her years in Washington in the late 1930s, Lois not only enjoyed her work, she also met her future husband, Mart Vogel, from Perham, Minnesota, who was taking classes at George Washington Law School in the evenings. They married in May of 1939 and spent all of their savings on a six week trip to Europe. After the honeymoon, they moved to Fargo, where Mart joined the law firm which eventually became known as the Vogel Law Firm.

In addition to raising three sons, Lois participated in a wide variety of civic activities. She helped establish the Family Planning Service in Fargo. She was also a charter member of the Fargo League of Women Voters, and for many years wrote the Voters’ Guide that explained the ballot measures that appeared regularly on North Dakota ballots. Lois and Mart were part of a group that organized the F-M Community Theater and were strong supporters of the Fargo Moorhead Symphony since their arrival in Fargo. In 1972 she was elected as a representative from Fargo to the North Dakota Constitutional Convention and served as the secretary for the Convention. She was a long time member of the Fargo Round Table study club and of the First Congregational Church in Fargo. For her civic work she was awarded the Humanitarian Award by the Temple Beth El in Fargo, the Liberty Bell Award by the North Dakota State Bar Association, and a special recognition award from the Fargo League of Women Voters. She also enjoyed gardening and was an avid reader.

After a happy 67-year marriage, Lois was preceded in death by her husband Mart. She is survived by her three sons, P. Christian (Mary Ann) Vogel of Perrysburg, Ohio, C. Nicholas (Ene) Vogel, of Fargo, and M. Daniel Vogel of Fargo; three grandchildren, Joshua (Kary) Vogel of Plainfield, Illinois, Anneliese Vogel of New York City, and David Vogel of Henderson, Nevada; and two great grandchildren, Alek Vogel and Annika Vogel of Plainfield, Illinois.

At Lois’s request, there will only be a private family grave side service at a later date. Those wishing to make a donation in her name might consider the Fargo League of Women Voters, Jamestown College, Planned Parenthood of North Dakota, or a charity of their choice.

Lois enjoyed good health right up to the end. The photograph of her was taken on her 95th birthday.