Esther Gilma (Braaten) Thompson the daughter of Hans and Inga (Thompson) Braaten was born on September 13, 1917 in the rural Pierce County, North Dakota home of her parents.  She died at the age of 96 years on Sunday, June 29, 2014 at the Heart of America Care Center in Rugby.

Esther was raised in the home of her parents in rural Pierce County until age six when her mother died. She lived with her grandparents in rural Pierce County. She began her education in a country school near her home. She completed her education at Wolford High graduating Salutatorian of the class of 1935.  Following high school she worked at the Pierce County Court House and at the Good Samaritan Hospital.  On March 30, 1947 she was united in marriage to Melvin Thompson at the family farm and made their home in Juniata Township, Pierce County where they farmed and raised their family.  Melvin died July 13, 1971.  She worked as a nursing assistant at Rolette Community Hospital before she went to nurses training. At the age of 56, Esther went back to school to be a nurse through the nursing program though Lake Region State College at the Presentation Hospital in Rolla.  Earning her LPN License, she worked at the Rolette Community Hospital until suffering a stroke in 1973.  Esther recouped at her farm home following the stroke in 1979 and later rented her twin sister’s home in Rugby.  After awhile, she moved to the East Side Village apartments where she made her home until April of 2012, when she moved to the care center. She was a wonderful seamstress and in later years she crocheted many aphgans for family and friends. She was very involved in Ox Creek and later Wolford Lutheran Church. She taught Sunday School for many years and held offices in the Ox Creek ladies aid.

Esther is survived by a son, David of Rugby; daughters, Marlene (Greg) Nelson of Sutton and Ila Rae (Ray) LaChapelle of Walhalla; grandchildren, Sarah (Chris) Lewandowski, Amber (Michael Dagen) Fletschock, Lindsey (Jamie) Banister, Andrea Deschamp, Scott LaChapelle and Mackenzie Fletschock; great grandchildren, Hannah, Ella, and Lillian Banister; a brother, Marvin (Alice) Braaten of Scotts Bluff, Nebraska; sisters, Helen (Gary) Armstrong of Devils Lake, Lyla (Robert) Grant, Carol (Eldon) Anderson and Connie Hulett, all of California; son-in-law, Al Fletschock of Devils Lake; sister-in-law, Bonnie Braaten of California; several nieces, nephews; other relatives and friends.  She was preceded in death by her husband; a daughter, Ruth Ann Fletschock; twin sister, Rachel Thompson; brother, Glenn Braaten; brothers-in-law, Clay Hulett and Raymond Thompson; a niece Susan Grant; her parents and step-mother Mabel Braaten.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, July 6^th, 2014 at the Wolford Lutheran Church, Wolford with burial in the Ox Creek Cemetery, rural Rolette.  Pastor Dana Holter, officiating.

Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the time of services at the church on Sunday.