Sarah F. Gunderson

Sarah Frances Gunderson was born in Grand Forks, ND on December 24th, 1986. Sarah left this world on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012 in Munising, Michigan, as the result of a car accident. She is survived by her fiancé, Nicholas Huntington (Rapid City, SD); her parents, Jerome and Ramona Gunderson (Thompson, ND); her sister Becky (Chris) Mace (Southaven, MS) and her sister Jana Gunderson (Fargo, ND). She was preceded in death by her grandparents: Arnold and Mildred Gunderson, and Pastor Marvin Keen. In 2005 Sarah graduated from Red River High School, and then attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2010 with a B.S. degree in Forest Resources. She was delighted to be a tuba player with the U of M Marching Band. She had been attending Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, pursuing a Master's Degree in Entomology. She would have graduated in the spring of 2013. Sarah spent the summers of 11 and 12 at the Wildlife Research Station in Algonquin Provincial Park, north of Peterborough, ON where she was able to live the life she loved, studying insect pollinators of raspberry plants. She also helped those studying other wildlife: the "turtlers," the "smammalers" and the "birders." She would regale her family and friends with stories of moose, bears, black flies and other less threatening wildlife that she was able to observe on a daily basis. She was given a pickup to drive and had to haul her own gravel to the washed out parts of the logging roads she used to travel to her research locations. Sarah reveled in being a part of nature. She spent hours outside, studying wildlife on the farmstead where she grew up, near Thompson, ND. Upon returning home after a summer at Algonquin Park, she commented that she was living her dream of being able to stumble over logs and play in the woods. Sarah's love for the outdoors was reflected in some of her favorite pastimes: longboarding, camping, rollerblading, hiking, snowshoeing, and watching and interacting with wildlife. When Sarah spoke, she didn't waste words. Her smile was wide and honest. She always spoke her truth. Her values are reflected in those with whom she chose to surround herself. Sarah valued her friends; her passion inspired numerous others. Sarah's talents included mastery of a multitude of crafts. She embodied the ability of her father's hands with the inspiration and creativity of her mother. She painted and sketched with multiple mediums. She enjoyed knitting, crafting, making pottery, wood burning and taking photos, just to name a few. Like her sisters, Sarah loved to read and cherished anything to do with music. Over her lifetime she played flute, piano, violin, harmonica, tuba, sousaphone, accordion and concertina. She treasured playing various instruments with her fiancé, Nick. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials are sent to either a conservation society of the giver's choosing or to the Agassiz Audubon Society: Sarah F. Gunderson Memorial to Agassiz Audubon Society, 27391 190th St. NW, Warren, MN 56762. A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 21, 2012 at 10:30 AM in Walle Lutheran Church, rural Thompson, ND. Visitation will be Thursday from 5 to 7 PM with a prayer service at 7 PM in Amundson Funeral Home, Grand Forks, ND.