Della Mae Elhard – Mon Dec 27, 2021

Della Mae (Reardon) Elhard, 85, passed away Monday, December 27, 2021 at Sanford Hospital in Bismarck, ND.

Della Mae Elhard was born on a farm in LaMoure County near Jud, ND, on September 29, 1936 to Albert M. Elhard and Mathilda (Jahnke) Elhard. She attended school in Alfred, ND, and later moved to Jamestown, ND. She graduated from Jamestown High School in 1954 – Go Blue Jays! She attended college in Grand Forks at The Sisters of St. Joseph School of Nursing, which today is known as the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She received her RN degree with the class of 1957, then worked at Trinity Hospital in Jamestown, ND and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tucson, AZ. She married Vernon Reardon on December 27, 1958 at the First Congregational United Church in Jamestown, ND. They initially made their home in Minneapolis, MN, so Vern could attend dental school while Della supported the family. In 1962 they relocated to Minot, ND, where they raised five children, four into adulthood. Della and Vern later divorced. After raising her children, Della obtained a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Drug and Alcohol Addiction from Minot State College in 1986. She made another move back to Tucson, AZ, in the fall of 1988 where she worked as a behavioral health nurse. She worked in a day treatment program where she helped some of her favorite patients whose ages ranged from 18 to 92. Della also had a passion for volunteering at the Arizona Children’s Home Association in Tucson, where her love of gardening was always felt among the staff, residents, and even the plants.

In 2006, she moved back to Bismarck, ND, to be closer to her children and grandchildren.

Della excelled at many sports including tennis, cross country skiing, bowling and golf. Later in life, she especially enjoyed watching Fighting Sioux Hockey and the University of Arizona Men’s basketball team. If you knew her at all, you also knew not to try phoning her during Wimbledon, the US Tennis Open nor the French Open.

Because she was a voracious reader, finishing 3 to 4 books weekly, Della would prefer, in lieu of flowers, a tax free donation to the Bismarck Library Foundation (https://www.bismarcklibrary.org/173/Donate-Now), Bismarck, ND.

Della was preceded in death by daughter Kirsten, brother Donald and Sisters Leah and Delilah.

She is survived by her children, Douglas (Kristen) Fargo, ND, Phillip, Adelaide, AUS, Melissa (Wayne Ham) Fargo, ND Michael (Amanda Krosch) Minneapolis, MN; grandchildren Maria, Brendan, Riley, Kaitlin, Zachery, Alexandra, Abigail, Tessa, Austin, Sophie and Sydney. She is also survived by her brother Morris Elhard and her sister Wanda Tillman.

There will be memorial on January 3rd, 2021 at the First Congregational United Church in Jamestown, ND at 1:00 in the afternoon. She also wanted everyone to know that she did not die from any COVID variant. (For those who are unable to attend this memorial, a celebration of Della’s impressive life is planned in the Summer 2022.)

Video Streaming of the service will be provided on Della’s obituary page at eddyfuneralhome.com.

Eddy Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.