Marlys (Lomen) Mittelsteadt

Marlys Ann Mittelsteadt, 78, of Grand Forks, North Dakota, died on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at Valley Senior Living on Columbia in Grand Forks.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., at Amundson Funeral Home in Grand Forks.  A private urn burial will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Lengby, Minnesota at a later date.

Marlys was born on February 28, 1945, in Fosston Minnesota to Olaf and Cora (Sorgaard) Lomen.  She attended grade school in Lengby and graduated from Fosston High School in 1964.  Marlys worked as a dental assistant in Fosston, before marrying Jeffrey LaVoi in 1964 in Lengby.  The couple lived in Connecticut and Rhode Island while Jeff was in the Navy.  They moved to Crookston, Minnesota in 1967, Havre, Montana in 1981 and Grand Forks, North Dakota in 1988.  The couple later divorced.

Marlys loved caring for her 5 children, sewing, cooking, craft projects, holiday entertaining and family get-togethers.  For several years Marlys provided day care for neighborhood families.  In Grand Forks, she was employed for 25 years at Wendy’s restaurants. 

Marlys is survived by her children, Heidi (Ed) Hill of Havre, MT, Mark LaVoi of Grand Forks, ND, Renee Leinius of Mandan, ND, Bobbi Jo (Willi) Brenner of Rochester, MN, and John (Michelle) LaVoi of Fargo, ND; grandchildren, Natalie Hill, Rebecca Jo LaVoi, Mindi Winczewski, Matthew Leinius, and McKenna and Brynlee LaVoi; great-grandchildren, Joey Winczewski and Theodore Hill; and a sister-in-law, Gayshon Lomen of Baxter, MN.

She was preceded in death by her parents and 5 siblings, Mildred Bakken, Lee Lomen, Mavis Iverson, Arnold Lomen and Harold Lomen.