Lucille Nygaard, 101, formerly of Minot and Plaza, passed away on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at the Bethel Lutheran Home in Williston. Her Memorial service will be held Sunday, May 24, at 11:00 a.m. at the Bethke-Nelson Funeral Home in Drake, North Dakota with burial at the Balfour Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the funeral home.

Lucille Bethke, daughter of Aaron and Thea (Jorgenson) Bethke, was born May 23, 1913 at the Bethke homestead in Balfour, ND where she grew up and attended school. Lucille was the oldest of four, with three younger brothers. She graduated from Balfour High School in 1931. Lucille attended business college in Minot and then worked in the Ward County Conservation office, where she met Ernest Nygaard.

Lucille was married to Ernest Nygaard on May 6, 1941 at Zion Lutheran Church in Minot. They made their home in Van Hook where Ernest worked for the Soil and Water Conservation District. They later moved to Plaza, where Ernest and Lucille owned and operated Nygaard Hardware Store. They retired in 1980 and moved to Minot. Ernest passed away August 5, 1985. Lucille continued to reside in Minot until moving to the Good Shepherd Home in Watford City in 2012; she transferred to Bethel Lutheran Home in Williston one year later.

Lucille enjoyed competing at golf and bowling, she loved crossword puzzles, board games, and flower gardening. She was a wonderful cook, loved to bake and had a weakness for fudge. Lucille was strong and independent, but also very hospitable, gracious and fun She was loved dearly by her many nieces, nephews and friends. She was creative, inspiring, and generous with her time and resources. Lucille was a great role model to her family. Through her example, she showed us the value of hard work, honesty, love and laughter.

Lucille is survived by her niece, Kim ( Mark) Bekkedahl of Nampa, ID and their three children: Cally (Jay) Younger, Maycee (Kendall) Gielow, and Hudson; her niece Tami (Bruce) McNeil of North Oaks, MN, and their three children: Catie, Tara, and Rob; her nephew, Lance (Sheila) Bethke of Williston and their four children: Courtney (Justin) Arneson, Cameron, Bailey, and Sidney; her niece Ardis (David) Loock, and their children Tammy, Tanya, and Travis; sister-in-law, Bobbie Bethke of Williston; and cousins, Alex Sahr of Fargo and Jennie Bentz of Bismarck.

She was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Alden, Gordon, and Wallace and her husband, Ernest.