Mavis Kracht, age 90, of Valley City, ND, died Saturday, August 31st at Mercy Hospital in Valley City. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM Saturday, September 7th at Trinity Lutheran Church in Valley City. Visitation will be held at Friday, September 6th from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the Lerud Mathias Funeral Home Chapel and one hour before the service at the church on Saturday morning. Interment will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery near Valley City.
Mavis Arlene Gregerson, the daughter of Axel and Beatrice (Tooley) Gregerson, was born August 5, 1929 in Valley City, ND. She attended school in Valley City until 8th grade and then went to work at Ernie’s Café and then Mercy Hospital as a laundress. She met Bernie Kracht and they were married on May 1, 1947. They had three sons and eleven years later in 1961 she became a full time homemaker after giving birth to a baby girl. She enjoyed gardening, canning, flowers, cooking and baking. She became famous with her children and grandchildren for her Sour Cream Sugar Cookies and especially with her grandsons for her homemade beef jerky. Her homemade chicken noodle soup was also a family favorite. She loved collecting angels which always seemed to give her comfort. She enjoyed many different sports including baseball, basketball, golf (especially Tiger Woods), tennis (loved the Williams’ Sisters) and watching her grandchildren play hockey. She was a true hockey grandma making many pans of bars for the concession stand at the NDWS hockey arena where she cheered loudly for her grandsons.
Mavis is survived by her children: Dusty (Jan) Kracht, Sioux Falls, SD, Dennis (Bonnie) Kracht, Bruce (Dianne) Kracht and Kay (Paul) Metcalf, all Valley City, ND; 11 grandchildren: Dusty (Rose) Kracht, JR, TJ (Jessica) Kracht, Todd (Michelle) Kracht, Greg Kracht, Kristofer (Cadi) Kracht, Joshua Kracht, Jodi Kracht, Denise (Mike) Wadeson, Ryan (Erin) Metcalf, Cory (Cassandra) Metcalf and Jason (Monica) Metcalf; 25 Great-grandchildren; 5 Great-great grandchildren; brother, Jerry (Ellie) Gregerson; sisters-in-law, Ardie Gregerson and Betty Gregerson; and her constant companion Maggie the cat.
Mavis was preceded in death by her husband of 58years, Bernie, her parents and 12 brothers and sisters.