Audrey J. Weidner

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Audrey Jane Weidner, beloved child of God and of her parents, was born on August 29, 2008, in Everett, Washington. She died at the age of 17 at Sanford in Fargo, ND, on July 28, 2026.

Audrey moved with her parents to Fargo at one month of age to be closer to her extended family. On November 2, 2008, she was baptized by her grandfather Reverend Arthur Weidner in Fergus Falls, MN and she grew up knowing of the love of Jesus. She became a big sister to Claire in 2010 and the family moved to West Fargo.

Audrey had a happy childhood filled with lessons for swimming, skiing, piano and other activities, as well as playing with her little sister following in her footsteps. Her dad was deployed for six months and missed her third birthday; at the time she would brag to everyone that he was away doing "hero work." A sensitive child, she was a bubbly chatterbox and diplomatic with her peers. She could use "uff-da" properly by the age of three and had a keen sense of sarcasm and humor, making her mom laugh every day.

Starting at the age of 5 she attended dance, first at Messiah Dance Theatre, then Camria Ballet Academy, both in Moorhead; then at North Dakota Academy of Dance in Fargo. Over 12 years she tried ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and modern dance.

Audrey attended Grace Lutheran School from kindergarten through the eighth grade. On the first day of kindergarten, she was so nervous she threw up and her mom had to pick her up. However, she became a leader in school, winning a writing contest for Lutherans for Life twice, and confidently sang solos in musicals and choir performances. She gave a valedictorian speech for her 8th grade graduation, a Grace tradition. Audrey was confirmed in her Christian faith at St. Andrew Lutheran Church on October 29, 2023.

Audrey attended Park Christian School her freshman year of high school, where she was a basketball cheerleader. During her sophomore and junior years, she attended Horace High School, participated in choir, and lettered in theatre. She played the Little Red-Headed Girl in Charlie Brown.

Audrey traveled extensively with her family, from viewing her favorite puffins in Maine to Kauai. She loved learning about the natural world, science, history, world religions, psychology, and relationships; she would share everything she learned with her mom and could debate endlessly on any subject.

Audrey enjoyed canoeing and camping in the boundary waters with her dad. She harvested her own deer and pheasants, then to his chagrin she became vegan. She once shot a racoon out of her parents’ bedroom window with a pellet gun to help her dog hunt. As a teen, Audrey deeply loved her family, friends, two dogs, dangly earrings, converse shoes, baking bread, elephants, cozy sweaters, caring for plants, and gently saving spiders in her basement. She was a talented artist who did painting, drawing, and sculpture.

Audrey and her sister Claire loved crafting for their dolls and playing imagination games in the backyard as kids; they moved on to silly texts and late-night conversations as they got older. She never grew out of her stuffed animal collection, and accumulated many, naming them all. Audrey would take the dogs from Claire’s room each night and liked to call them silly nicknames such as “bag of knees” when they got bad haircuts. She was teaching herself German and planning her 18th birthday.

For the past two years Audrey has struggled with chronic migraines, which no doctor could cure. She was unable to enjoy life or attend school in person last semester. She became severely depressed and despite the best efforts of her family and care team, to the shock of all who knew her, she took her own life. Audrey was to be a senior at Horace High this fall. She gave the gift of donating her eyes to give sight and her brain for mental health research.

Audrey was preceded in death by her great-grandmothers, Leone Carter and Eileen Holmen; her grandparents, Glenn and Leanne Carter and Reverend Arthur and Angeline Weidner; and her cousin, Nathan Weidner.

Audrey will be deeply missed by her parents, Arthur and Cari Weidner, and her sister, Claire; her aunts and uncles Cory (Kristina) Carter, Amy (Cliff) Hoskins, Edith (Steve) Opdahl, and Christian (Amanda) Weidner; many loving cousins, extended family members, and friends.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family kindly requests with gratitude that memorial contributions be made to a Grace Lutheran School in Fargo to support Christian education.

Audrey enjoyed making and wearing fun earrings, the family requests that females attending the Visitation or Funeral Service wear a pair of fun earrings in her honor.

A Visitation for Audrey will be Thursday, August 6, 2026, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM, with a 7:00 PM Prayer Service in St. Andrew Lutheran Church, West Fargo. ND. Visitation will continue Friday, August 7, 2026, at 12:00 PM followed by her Funeral Service at 1:00 PM in the Church. She will be laid to rest in Kirkebo Lutheran Cemetery in Perley, MN

We invite you to take a few moments to share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with Audrey’s family in the Guestbook below her obituary.

(Korsmo Funeral and Cremation Service, Moorhead, MN)