June 8, 2016

Ellen Novak

Ellen Elaine (Fixen) Novak left this world to join her loved ones in heaven on June 2, 2016, on the 70th Anniversary of her marriage. She passed away at Trinity Hospital in Minot, N.D.   
Ellen was born June 26, 1926, to Leonard and Elda (Abelmann) Fixen at their family home northeast of Alexander, N.D.
Over the years she reminisced about walking to school with her siblings to the Harstad School northeast of Alexander and when their family moved and lived by the Missouri River in 1936. She continued grade school at Indian Hill School and then Williston High School until it was too difficult to get rides to school.  She quit school her junior year and moved with her sister DeLoris to the west coast to work in a cardboard box factory until several letters from George Novak convinced her to move back to North Dakota.
Ellen was married to George William Novak on Sunday morning June 2, 1946, at 10 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Williston, North Dakota.
They made their home in a used box car on the river bottoms south of Williston until they moved their box car to the Novak homestead in 1947.  She would say she had the box car fixed up pretty nice with curtains and furnishings.  
On August 29, 1947, Dianne Marie was born into the family.
In November of 1952, they moved to George’s parent’s house as they had retired and moved to Williston.  
Beverly Jean joined the family on May 18, 1953, and eight years later on June 1, 1961, Larry George completed her family.
Ellen loved the outdoors and was a true farmer at heart. She worked side-by-side with George in all the farming operations. She drove the trucks and tractors for summer fallowing, hay raking, cultivating and was still driving tractor at age 85. She still worried about the farming operations till the day of her passing. Through the years she helped care for horses, cows, chickens, turkeys and pigs.
She enjoyed several hobbies: knitting, hardanger, sewing, 4-H activities, camping and fishing with family and riding horses. Actually, she pretty much enjoyed life. She was a member of The Friendly Neighbors Homemakers, the Jolly 9 Diet Club, the Red Hat Society, the Rossland Lutheran Church Ladies Aid and the neighborhood birthday club.
She enjoyed watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in as many sporting and school events as she could. She did not like to fly in an airplane, but did so to help her sister Edna return home from Denver, Colo. after recovering from hip surgery. If possible, she would help wherever she could. Her heart was golden.
She cherished family get-togethers and was interested in all her family’s lives. To Ellen, everyone was family.  She tried to keep updated on all the relatives and enjoyed hearing of their achievements and happenings.
After they semi-retired (if you are a farmer, you never really retire), George and Ellen loved traveling and traveled to most of the 50 states with the Farmers Union Bus Tours and thus meeting several life-long friends.
She also loved her children and grandchildren very much. She started a tradition of making or finding a Christmas ornament for each member of the family. She would date them and add each person’s name to them.  Every year the family would look forward to finding out what Grandma’s idea was for the next year.
She is survived by her daughters, Dianne (Steve) Sattler, Beverly (Dennis) Breivik; and son, Larry (Tana) Novak; grandchildren, Chad (Kris) Sattler, Robb Bubendorf, Jason (Erin) Sattler, Dennis (Deb) Breivik II, Heidi (David) Wetzel, Angela (Shane) Cymbaluk, Jacee Turcotte, Jada Turcotte and Jacob Novak; great-grandchildren, Ashley (Andy) Ifft, Dylan Bubendorf, Laney and Dani Sattler, Ellie, and Antonia Sattler, Jaden (Susan) Cymbaluk, Kaytlynn (Markus) Noeske, Jaylen Cymbaluk, Sabina Wetzel, Sklyer and Kolton Carns, Josten and Dreyson Bratcher, Ryah and Anistyn Young, and Lextyn Portra; great-great-grandchildren, Easton Noeske, Jackson Ifft, and Brocken Cymbaluk; her brother, James “Jim” Fixen; sister, Darlene (Merrill) Benth; sisters-in-law, Clara Fixen, Janette Novak and Evelyn Mrachek; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband, George; her granddaughter, Monica Bubendorf; her parents; two brothers, Harley and LeRoy Fixen; two sisters, DeLoris Hagen and Edna Rehak; and several in-laws.
Her Funeral Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, 2016, at First Lutheran Church in Williston.  Rev. Martin Mock will officiate. Interment in Riverview Cemetery will follow the funeral service.
Friends may call at Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home on Friday, June 10, from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. and for the hour preceding the service at the church on Saturday.
Friends are welcome to visit www.eversoncoughlin.com to share memories of Ellen or leave condolences for her family.

WATFORD CITY WEATHER