Winnifred ‘Winnie’ Bloomquist

Winnifred ‘Winnie’ Bloomquist

Winnifred ‘Winnie’ Bloomquist, 88, of rural East Drayton in MN, passed away quietly on Thursday morning, November 8, 2012, at Woodside Village in Grand Forks, ND.

Winnifred Lucie Halcrow was born April 6, 1924, to John and Winnifred (McIntosh) Halcrow in Bowesmont, ND. Winnie attended school and graduated from Bowesmont High School, attended NDSU and received her BA in journalism from the University of Minnesota. She was a member of Kappa Delta sorority and Theta Sigma Phi (Journalism). Winnie was the Woman’s Page Editor and feature writer for the Daily Pioneer newspaper in Mandan, ND, for several years. She married Harvey Bloomquist on Dec. 12, 1948, and moved to the Bloomquist farm where they worked together raising various crops, livestock and their family. She loved to entertain, and holidays always found her fixing a delicious meal for family and friends and making sure everyone enjoyed themselves. Winnie enjoyed traveling with Harvey throughout the US and Canada, as well as many countries around the world. They traveled with People-to-People to South American, Australia and New Zealand and enjoyed travels to Scotland, Shetland, Japan, Saudi Arabia and many countries in Europe. They celebrated 50 years of marriage in 1998, shortly before Harvey passed away in March 1999.

Winnie’s long life was filled with many varied interests and community involvement including: Girl Scout Leader, Teien 4-H club leader, Order of the Eastern Star, Kittson County Republican chairwoman, American Lutheran Church Women officer and District delegate. Curling was her passion. She was an active member of the Drayton Curling Club and the Grafton Curling Club. After being selected for the 1976 Scots Tour with the US Women’s Curling Association (USWCA), she served as a delegate to the USWCA Board and as president 1987-1988. Winnie was instrumental in starting the USWCA Friendship Tour for women curlers in the US and Canada that continues to today. Winnie also served as a delegate from North Dakota to the Board of Directors of the United States Curling Association (USCA) for many years and served as USCA president 1996-1997. Winnie was one of only two women to have held both posts. Winnie traveled to many bonspiels, curling championships, and World Curling events in Canada, Sweden, Scotland, Switzerland, and Japan.

Winnie loved her cabin at the Northwest Angle on Lake of the Woods where she enjoyed fishing with Harvey, picnicking on the islands, bird watching, cross-country skiing in the winter, quiet time just writing and reading in the cabin. She collected antiques and operated a shoppe named Poo’s Corner, “by appointment only”. Her extensive knowledge of antique glassware was much respected. Poo’s Corner was also the name of her popular weekly column in the Valley News and Views, which ran for many years. She wrote poetry at times, and her poem about the little town of Bowesmont is memorialized in stone at the historic Bowesmont Methodist Church, the last surviving building. Winnie edited several books in the community including the 100th anniversary Church History book, “Skjeberg, a People, a Church: 1883-1993” for the Skjeberg Lutheran Church of rural Teien, Minnesota.

Winnie is survived by her children, Laura, Priscilla, Tim (Kim) and Dan (Dawn); 7 grandchildren, Sarah and James Hammond; Jessica, Alex, and Kristina McDaniel; Raeann Thirlwall and Kayla (David) Holmes; sister-in-law Dorothy (John) Halcrow; and several cousins, nieces and nephews. Her two rescue dogs, Snowy and Bitsy, also survive her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Winnifred; her brothers, John, Harold and sister-in-law, Eleanor; her sister, Eleanor and brother-in-law Bob; and her beloved husband of 50 years, Harvey.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Drayton Ambulance Service, the USWCA or the Alzheimer’s Association http://www.alz.org

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, November 14 at 2 pm in the Skjeberg Lutheran Church, rural Drayton.

Interment: Skjeberg Cemetery.

Visitation: Tuesday 6-8 pm with prayer service at 7 pm at Austin Funeral Home in Drayton.

The Austin Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. www.austinfuneralchapel.com

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