Peona Holsti

Peona Holsti, 93, died on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, at Palliative Care in Sanford Hospital with her family at her side. Funeral services will be 11:00 AM, Monday, June 1, 2014, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Barnesville, MN, with Pastor Colin Grangaard officiating. Burial will follow at 4:30 PM, Monday in Napoleon City Cemetery, Napoleon, ND. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the funeral service at the church on Monday. Peona Becker was born on November 12, 1920, to William and Emelia (Retzlaf) Becker at Cokato Township, Logan County, ND. She was baptized and confirmed in the Christian Faith. She attended school in Logan County Country School and Napoleon school. As a teenager she worked in various places in the community. She was married to Gahlord G. Johnson in October of 1941, and they lived at Fort Dix, New Jersey while he was in training. Gahlord was a battle field casualty and died in February of 1944. She returned to North Dakota to live with her parents, and was married to Gedion Bauer in August of 1944. Peona lived in Napoleon, Kintyre, Williston, Sundance, WY, and Miles City, MT. Gedion died in March of 1956, and she relocated to Napoleon. She married Howard Holsti in September of 1960, and he died in May of 2003. In her later years, she lived in Barnesville and Fargo to be near her family. Peona loved to dance; she also enjoyed coffee parties, and visiting with people. She read the daily newspaper and magazines. She lived independently until April of this year. Peona is survived by two children: Evon (Derrald) Dewald, Moorhead, MN, Ken (Jan) Bauer, Barnesville, MN; six grandchildren: Amy Dewald (Rolf Jacobson), Cari (Erich) Drees, James Gahlord (Meghan) Dewald, Tara (Ruben) Zapata, Tracy (Dan) Dorval, Scott (Megan) Bauer; 11 great grandchildren; two brothers: Wallace (Lenora) Becker, Napoleon, ND and Roger (Betty) Becker, Bismarck, ND; one sister Leona Regner, Napoleon, and sister-in-law Gwen Becker, Minneapolis, MN. Peona was preceded in death by her parents; her three husbands; six brothers: Walter, Art, Johnny, Roland, Bill, Gilbert, and one sister Ruth Goebel.