Shirley A. Gravning

Shirley Ann Gravning left this earth on the evening of March 18, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family. We will miss her beyond words but are so thankful to know she is rejoicing in heaven with her husband Carmen, who went to get things ready for her arrival exactly one month earlier.

A family directed Memorial service for both Shirley and her husband, Carmen will be held 11:00 a.m. (MST) Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Centennial Chapel of Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger, North Dakota. Interment will take place at the Richland Cemetery in rural Hettinger.

Shirley was born May 28, 1943, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, the firstborn of Thomas and Clarice (Bergerud) Rund. She grew up on the family farm in Aastad Township, Ottertail County, where her love of dogs started early, as they raised Cocker Spaniels. This is also where her dislike of eggs started, due to the gathering of them in the chicken coop! In her growing up years, Shirley was very active in 4-H, Aastad Lutheran Church, and the school choir and even sang and played piano at different venues with her sister, Jeanette. She graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 1961. Following graduation, she moved to Fargo where she attended the Professional Business Institute and was certified as a Medical Assistant. She then accepted a job in Fargo working in a doctor’s office.

In the summer of 1962, while at a dance in Detroit Lakes, Shirley caught the eye of a handsome young man who asked her to dance. That dance would eventually lead to a marriage with Carmen Gravning on October 26, 1963, which would last for 61 wonderful years.

In April of 1964, Shirley and Carmen moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, for Carmen to start a new job at Pillsbury and Shirley began working at the Grand Forks County Welfare Office. In 1967, their first daughter Michelle was born, followed by Tamara in 1969, and Kimberly in 1974. In 1977, Shirley and Carmen purchased land west of Grand Forks and built their family home. This allowed them to start their adventure of raising miniature horses, donkeys and cattle, pygmy goats, and other critters. Their farm became known as Gravning’s Mini Acres. Shirley was a stay-at-home mom when her girls were young but went back to work in 1982, at the University of North Dakota, as a receptionist. She worked in the University Relations office, Financial Aid, and the Athletic Department.

Shirley and Carmen were members of Calvary Lutheran Church for many years and currently attended Hope Church in Grand Forks. Over the years, Shirley was a 4-H leader, Homeroom Mother, a member of the Skirts & Shirts Square Dancing Club and involved in the Prayer Shawl Ministry at Calvary. She also crocheted mini baby booties and blankets for the Infant Bereavement Program at Altru Hospital. She held offices in both the Mi-Ki Breeders USA Club and the Norwegian Lundehund Association of America. She was a life-long learner and took a wide variety of community education classes over the years ranging from calligraphy to guitar lessons to candy-making and craft classes. She even learned how to do Hardanger, a Norwegian embroidery. Shirley really could do anything she put her mind to and if she didn’t know how to do something, she would figure it out!

During the years of raising her daughters, Shirley was the most dedicated and organized of mothers: sewing multiple sets of matching outfits, purchasing and actually using educational games, and starting and completing three very detailed baby books and K-12 school scrapbooks. Shirley provided the structure around which the most stable and secure home was built. There was supper every night around the table and almost always a homemade dessert available. She was known to have the world’s best vegetable beef soup and apple pie. Each daughter was able to pick out which decorator cake she wanted for her birthday and Shirley would spend hours decorating with a piping bag and tip. At Christmas time it was tradition to make 15-20 different types of holiday goodies, many of these were Norwegian delicacies celebrating her Norwegian heritage.

Shirley was the epitome of a dog lover. Even the license of her minivan read, ‘DogLady’. She had a very successful business raising toy poodles, Norwegian Lundehunds, and toy Mi-Kis. She not only raised and sold puppies but became an often-referred consultant and mentor to many people looking to add that perfect canine companion to their home. In the years after her girls were grown, Shirley devoted the same level of love and care to her many dogs.

Shirley will be remembered for so many wonderful things: being the ever-present encourager and optimist, her distinct and frequent laugh, creator and accomplisher of lists, crocheting a baby blanket for every grandchild and great grandchild, sending cards for every birthday and anniversary for family and friends, and being present for the ever-expanding list of graduations, sporting events, music recitals, showers and weddings.

Shirley is survived by daughters Michelle (Al) Swanson of Beach, ND, Tamara (Bob) Rick of Browerville, MN, and Kimberly (Greg) Satrom of Page, ND; grandchildren Gage Swanson, Trey Swanson, Jenna (Nathan) Kromann, Jesse Rick, Elijah (Morgan) Rick, Quinn (Julie) Rick, Annika (Charley) Young, Greta (Noah) Boelter, Hannah Satrom, Aksel Satrom, Liv Satrom; 12 great-grandchildren; sister Jeanette Nelson, brother Stan (Bev) Rund.

She was preceded in death by husband, Carmen; parents, Tom and Clarice; grandson, Sawyer Swanson; father and mother-in-law, Melvin and Thelma Gravning, brothers-in-law, Terry Gravning and Carl Nelson; sister-in-law, Myrna Gravning.