Rose Dawn Ohnstad

Rose Dawn Ohnstad, age 91, of Fargo, ND, passed away Wednesday January 31, at TOUCHMARCK Assisted Living in Fargo, where she resided since July. She was surrounded by family, and under the care of Hospice.

Born in 1926, she attended Fargo Central High School. Rose and her husband John, childhood sweethearts, married Feb. 24, 1944 and were blessed with four children, Linda, James, Kathleen, and Wendy. During her lifetime she worked for Island Park Dairy Queen, Dutch Maid Restaurant, Potter and Ketchum, Dakota Clinic, Dahl’s Super Value, and the Brownie Bakery. In 1960 Rose and John bought and developed the OK Tire Stores.

Throughout her life she was a strong willed, feisty, and amazingly independent woman who inspired her children to do the same. She was an avid reader, loved shopping, going to casinos, summers at Big Cormorant Lake and spending winters in Mesa. Rose and her husband traveled the world visiting every continent except Antarctica. They spent their 60th wedding anniversary on a voyage to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and Singapore. In 2009 they spent their 65th anniversary going through the Panama Canal. They were married 73 years.

Rose is survived by her husband John; a son; James (Catherine) Ohnstad, Fargo, and two daughters, Kathleen (Court) Slabaugh, Phoenix, Arizona, and Wendy (Jeff) Smith, Afton, Wyoming; four grandchildren, Tawny (Brady) Brolin, Mallory (Jason) Radcliffe, Brittany Ohnstad, Vanessa (Alex Knox) Stewart, and one great granddaughter, Adalynn Radcliffe; brother, George (Phyllis) Matthiensen, Fargo; sister, Barbara Petersen, Seattle, Washington, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, and daughter Linda.