Bergit Laudon

Bergit A. N. Laudon, 90, Detroit Lakes, MN, died Monday, March 23, 2009 at Emmanuel Nursing Home in Detroit Lakes. A Celebration of Bergit’s life will be held in July at the home of her son, Douglas, on Lake Eunice in rural Detroit Lakes. The date and time will be announced at a later date.

Bergit was born February 17, 1919 on the family homestead in Skandia Township near Kathryn, North Dakota to Ellef and Petra (Hamstad) Falstad. She was the eighth of nine children.

Bergit was baptized on the family farm and confirmed at Hastings (ND) Lutheran Church. She attended Brown School #2 for grades one through eight and is a 1937 graduate of Hastings High School. After graduation, she worked in Fargo, ND where she met her future husband, James W. Laudon, an N. D. A. C. student, on a blind date.

Bergit and Jim were united in marriage January 4, 1942 in Las Vegas, NV. They followed their dreams and drove to California. They rented their first apartment in Van Nuys, CA where Jim was employed at the Lockheed Aircraft Factory and Bergit worked as a nanny for the children of Hollywood producer Hal Prince.

Following Jim’s discharge from the U. S. Navy following WW II, they moved to Fargo, North Dakota where they shared their married life and raised their two children. They were members of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Bergit was a wife, homemaker, mother and grandmother extraordinaire. She enjoyed gardening, golfing, and bowling. Her most favorite activity was playing cards.  She continued to play her favorite card games up until two weeks prior to her death.

In retirement Bergit and Jim moved to their lake home on Lake Maud near Detroit Lakes, MN. They were members at Augustana Lutheran Church. Bergit enjoyed water skiing into her early sixties. She loved fishing and never turned down an opportunity to do so. They spent many winters in Santa Cruz, CA near their daughter. They also enjoyed extensive traveling that included two trips to Norway to visit with first cousins there.

Survivors include Bergit’s daughter and son-in-law, Sherry and Tommy Skidmore of Santa Cruz, CA; her son, Douglas Laudon of Detroit Lakes; grandchildren, Charles Skidmore of Santa Cruz, CA, Sara (George) Menna of Santa Cruz, CA, Kate Laudon of Breckenridge, CO, Emily Laudon of Rochester, MN; great-grandchildren, Mason Menna, Savannah Marie Skidmore and Saylor Faith Menna, all of Santa Cruz, CA; sister, Synova Pedersen of Valley City, ND; and brother, Erling Falstad of Ephrata, WA. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim, in 2007; by sisters, Ruth, Mildred, Eleanor and Signe and brothers Ingman and Birger.