Fay Darleen Pittenger (Wadeson), age 77, passed away on May 21, 2024, at Edgewood Assisted Living in Mandan. Funeral services will be on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. at Bismarck Funeral Home. Visitation will be one hour prior to the start of the service.
Fay was born on July 15, 1946, in Valley City, North Dakota, to Francis and Ellen Wadeson. She spent much of her childhood on the family farm, helping with daily chores. She attended school in Fingal and graduated from Enderlin High School in 1964. She met Larry Pittenger at a barn dance where they immediately hit it off. Larry and Fay were married on September 4, 1964, in Valley City. They welcomed their first daughter, Kristal Kay, on March 15, 1965. They then welcomed their second daughter, Wendy Lee, on October 31, 1966. Fay, Larry and their daughters moved to Utah for a short while but soon returned to North Dakota to be closer to family. Fay attended beautician school and spent several years chatting with clients while cutting their hair. She then joined her husband, Larry, to help with their drywall business, Pittenger Drywall until she eventually retired.
Fay was an avid shopper who could sniff out a good deal almost anywhere. If she wasn’t filling her shopping basket, she could often be found in the kitchen cooking any of her notable recipes such as her oatmeal cookies, banana bread, lefse, homemade spaghetti sauce, or chicken wings. She enjoyed spending much of her free time in the summer in the garden taking care of her flowers, vegetable plants, or raspberries. She especially loved planting her flowers in the spring. On any given day, she could be found watching an episode of Days of Our Lives or Dancing with the Stars.
Fay will be most remembered for her thoughtful gift giving, her sense of humor, her contagious laugh, and her love of ice cream. Fay loved her family more than anything and would make a point to tell them she loved and appreciated them as often as possible, accompanied with the best hugs and kisses. Her loss will leave a void in her family’s hearts beyond measure, but her memories will be cherished for many years.
Fay is survived by her daughter, Wendy (Dwight) Hatzenbuhler of Beulah; son-in-law, Myron Gustin of Mandan; grandchildren, Lacy (David) Brandt, Kayla (Chance) Schmidt, Channing (Josie) Hatzenbuhler, Chelsey (Lelan) Bosch, Keely (Preston) Wetzel, and Whitney Hatzenbuhler; great-grandchildren, Tayze and Lily Brandt, Avery and Ruby Schmidt, Everlie, Waylon, and Roslyn Hatzenubuhler, and Jennings and Brooks Wetzel; sisters, Fern Schlegel, Joy (Norb) Schlegel; and her brother Jay (Cecilia) Wadeson.
Fay was preceded in death by her parents, Francis and Ellen; husband, Larry; daughter, Kristal; brother-in-law, Clarence; and her beloved dog, Pepe.