Patricia Beverly (Guss) Gustafson, the daughter of Lloyd and Gertrude (Schuppel) Guss was born on August 24, 1929 at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Rugby, North Dakota.  She died at the age of 85 years on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at the Towner County Medical Center in Cando, North Dakota.

Patricia was raised in the home of her parents in Wolford, graduated as Valedictorian from Wolford Public School in 1947 and attended Minot State Teachers College.  She taught one year at Meyer School District in Pleasant Lake.  On March 5, 1949, she was united in marriage to Oswald ‘Osy’ Gustafson at the First Lutheran Church in Minot.  They made their home on the Gustafson family farm near Wolford all their lives.  To this union, two sons were born, Kent Kennedy and Creighton Dale.  Patricia continued her education and graduated from the School of Forestry in Bottineau with an Associate of Science Degree in 1966 and from Mayville State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education in 1967.  She went on to attend Valley City State University earning her Library Science Degree in 1981.  She graduated summa cum laude from all three colleges.  Patricia was a librarian at Rugby Elementary School for 23 years, retiring in 1990.  After leaving the Rugby School system, she accepted the position of librarian at the Wolford School, retiring again in May, 2013, after a total of 47 years in education. 

Patricia was baptized and confirmed in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Rugby and was a member of the church guild until its closing.  She was a former member of the Wolford PTA, Homemaker’s Club, as well as the Rebekah Lodge of Wolford and was treasurer for the Wolford Community Cemetery board.  She belonged to Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Phi Sigma, both national honorary fraternities and was elected to Who’s Who Among American Teachers in 2007.  Patricia enjoyed nature, playing piano, flowers, birds, gardening, reading, her cat, Constanya “Bunky” and treasured good music, poetry and books.  She had a firm and undying faith in God with a fundamental and literal belief in the Bible and a love for Israel.  Characteristic of Patricia, she had an unyielding devotion to her family, an esteemed loyalty to the Wolford Community and love for the Wolford School, these were the woven fabrics of her life.  Patricia was ever thankful to God for allowing her family to live on the farm she considered “next to heaven”.

She is survived by her sons, Kent Kennedy of Reno, Nevada and Creighton Dale of Hampton, Virginia; a sister, Natalie Peterson of Rugby; sister-in-law, Marian Guss of Minot; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Osy, May 13, 1996; brothers, Lawrence in infancy, Donald and Dwight; sisters Lylis Allison and Inez Halvorson; and her parents.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, October 27^th, 2014 at the Wolford Lutheran Church in Wolford with burial in the Wolford Community Cemetery, Wolford.  Pastor Dana Holter  and Rev. Bonnie Weaver, officiating.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Sunday at the Anderson Funeral Home in Rugby. Reviewal will be held for one hour prior to the time of services at the church on Monday.