Rita M. Rudnik

Published June 14, 2020 at 12:14 PM

Rita Marie Rudnik, age 80, of Minto, passed away on Saturday, June 13 at Valley Senior Living on Columbia in Grand Forks following a brief illness with pancreatic cancer.

Rita was born on April 28, 1940 at home in Minto to Ambrose and Gertrude (Mozinski) Stoltman. She was baptized and confirmed at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Minto. Rita attended Minto Schools and graduated from Minto High School in 1959. She was united in marriage to Felix Rudnik on September 5, 1959 in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Minto. The couple farmed in the Minto and Warsaw area and made their home in Minto where they raised their family.

Rita’s faith was very important to her. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Altar Society, the Saint Stanislaus Rosary Society and the Minto American Legion Auxiliary. Rita loved the outdoors, tending to her flowers, reading, music, watching Wheel of Fortune and caring for others. She admired the style of Jackie Kennedy and enjoyed keeping tabs on Hollywood celebrities. She cherished the memory of dancing with Lawrence Welk during a trip to Pasadena, CA. Rita’s favorite pastime was photographing her family and capturing photos of the farming crew while they combined grain and harvested potatoes and sugar beets. She was a wonderful cook and also enjoyed making and delivering meals to the farming crew during fall harvests.

Rita was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She will be dearly missed and remembered by her husband of 60 years, Felix, her daughter, Deb (Dan) Musser of Plymouth, MN and her sons, Darrell, Darrin and Dennis Rudnik of Minto. Grandchildren: Olivia, Natalie and Chad Musser. Emily (Richard) Short, Laura (Simon) Pulscher, Nicholas, Elizabeth, Zachary and Xavier Rudnik and their mother, Annette Rudnik. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

Rita was preceded in death by her parents, sister Bertha Tibert and her brother Gerald Stoltman.

Due to the pandemic, a private celebration of Rita’s life will be held for her immediate family and burial will be at Saint Stanislaus Cemetery in Warsaw. Memorials are suggested to the Sacred Heart Cemetery Fund or the Saint Stanislaus Cemetery Fund.

Rita’s family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Valley Senior Living on Columbia and Altru Hospice for the kind and compassionate care they provided to her.

The Tollefson Funeral Home of Grafton is in charge of arrangements. An online guest book is available at: www.tollefsonfuneralhome.com.