LaVerne "Lu" Engelstad

"God saw she was getting tired and a cure was not to be. So He put His arms around her and whispered ‘Come to Me.' With tearful eyes we watched her suffer and saw her fade away, although we loved her dearly, we could not make her stay. A golden heart stopped beating; hardworking hands now rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best."


Lu Engelstad, 86, formerly of Moorhead, MN, died Thursday, October 16, 2014, in the loving arms of her husband, in their rural Pelican Rapids, MN, home.

LaVerne Avis Gothe, known to all as Lu, was born, the daughter of Knute and Sella (Hovland) Gothe, on the family farm near Carlisle, MN, on Dec. 29, 1927. She grew up on the farm. In 11th grade she moved to Minneapolis, MN, and then to Fargo, ND, where she graduated from Fargo Central High School in 1946. She attended Augsburg College, Minneapolis, for a year, and then returned to Fargo to live and work.
On May 20, 1951, Lu was united in marriage, in Fargo, to Robert Engelstad, following a short courtship. They first lived in Alabama, while Bob completed his military service and then returned to the F-M area.

Lu was first a wife and mother. She loved her family and showed it in so many ways. Her faith in Jesus Christ was central to her very being. She loved to share her faith with others, and she lived the word of God. She expressed her faith in how she lived her life, by being extremely active in her church, The Lutheran Church of Christ the King, and by service on the New Life Center Auxiliary. Lu also served as a volunteer for many years at St. Luke's Hospital in Fargo. For 17 years she worked seasonally at Holland's Landscaping in Moorhead, but enjoyed ending employment each year to spend summers at the lake.

Lu is survived by her husband, Bob, rural Pelican Rapids; four children, Lynn (Reed) Johnson, Glyndon, MN, Jon (Lori) Engelstad, Moorhead, Susan (Rick) Roesler, rural Pelican Rapids, and Julie (Jim) Nye, Lakeville, MN; 14 grandchildren; 29 great- grandchildren; and 1 great-great-grandson. She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Muriel Wohl.

Visitation: Sunday (10/19/14) from 4 to 7 PM, with a prayer service at 7 PM, in The Lutheran Church of Christ the King, Moorhead.

Funeral Service will be Monday, Oct. 20, 2014, at 11 AM, in The Lutheran Church of Christ the King, Moorhead.