Selma Gronaas

Selma (Skjoiten) Gronaas passed away at the Nelson County Health System - Care Center in McVille on August 1, 2008 at the age of 105 years, 9 months and 28 days.

Selma Skjoiten was born on October 3, 1902 near Northwood , ND to Peder and Aagot Skjoiten. Selma grew up and attended school in the Northwood area. After graduating from Northwood High School , she attended Mayville Normal and taught in the Niagara area. During her teaching years, she attended Mayville Normal, Valley City Normal, and Minot Normal for recertification's. Selma taught near Ypsilanti , Mayville, Steele, Minot and Lakota. While at Lakota she met the love of her life, Ludvik L. Gronaas. They were married October 29, 1927 at Fargo , ND by Pastor Runsvold. After their marriage in Fargo they lived on a farm near Tolna a short time before moving to a farm at Northwood. They purchased a farm northeast of McHenry in Paradise Township and farmed there until 1941 when they sold the farm and purchased a farm south of Pekin in Bergen Township . Ludvik and Selma farmed south of Pekin till 1956 when Ludvik became ill with cancer; he passed away in August of 1957. Selma was a member of Sheyenne Lutheran Church , rural Pekin . She was active in Ladies Aid and also taught Sunday school for many years. In 1956 Ludvik and Selma purchased a home in McVille where Selma lived until 1997 when she entered Swing Bed at the McVille Hospital and later moved to the NCHS Care Center at McVille, where she lived until her death. In 1959 Selma accepted the position of Director of Food Service and Housekeeping at the North Dakota School for the Deaf at Devils Lake . She always came to her home in McVille on weekends, until her retirement the spring of 1973 at the age of 70 years. She loved her duties there, her staff and especially the children. They called her grandma Gronaas. Selma enjoyed the friendships she found while working at Devils Lake . After retirement she did some child care in McVille as she loved children. Selma enjoyed having a garden and keeping her car clean. Family was always very important to Selma . Besides her immediate family; Sundays were often spent visiting her brothers and sisters and their families of Cooperstown , Hatton and Northwood. In 2006, Selma was chosen to be Grand Marshall of McVille's Centennial Parade, and rode in the parade on that very hot day.

Selma will be deeply missed by her daughter Loraine A. Larson of McVille; her granddaughter Gail (Dale) Flohaug of Aneta , ND ; great granddaughter Cheryl (Tom) Parslow of Hansboro , ND ; and many nieces and nephews.

Selma was preceded in death by her husband Ludvik Gronaas, son-in-law Floyd K. Larson, her parents, sisters Clara Onsager, Emma McCardle, Marie Pawlakjtis, Gina Skjoiten, brothers Olaf Skjoiten, Gustav Skjoiten, Alfred Skjoiten and Selmer Skjoiten.

Funeral services for Selma will be Sunday, August 3, 2008 at 3PM in the Sheyenne Lutheran Church , rural Pekin , ND . Visitation will be Sunday, August 3, 2008 starting at 1:30 PM in the Sheyenne Lutheran Church . Officiating will be Reverend David Nichols. Interment will be in Sheyenne Church Cemetery. Arrangements with the Stanley-Iverson Funeral Home of McVille.