Hella Menge, 97, of Bismarck, formerly of Beulah, passed away December 4, 2022, at the Benedictine Living Community, Bismarck, ND.
A Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, December 8, 2022, at Bismarck Funeral Home. Burial will be at 1:00 PM at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. A livestream of the service will be available on the Bismarck Funeral Home Facebook page.
Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service.
Hella (Voegele) Menge was born July 25, 1925, to Christ and Eva Voegele on a farm south of Zap, North Dakota. She married Fredrick Menge on May 8, 1948. They were married for 65 years with most of that time being spent in Beulah, with the exception of 7 years living in Scranton, North Dakota.
Hella’s youth was spent on the farm where hard times were the rule of the day on the North Dakota prairie. These harsh times made her a very strong and resilient person. She began preparing the family meals by the age of 9. She became an exceptional cook. A task that would provide the tools she would use for the rest of her life. A trade she used in the restaurants in Scranton, Beulah and as a cook in the Beulah school system for more than 15 years.
In her youth she learned to sew and crochet and became very proficient. She made everything from delicate tablecloths to prom dresses and if a pattern wasn’t available, she would design her own.
Hella was active in all kinds of sports. She played volleyball, bowled on leagues, played on a softball team and golfed well into her seventies. She loved games of any kind and played each on with a very competitive enthusiasm, especially pinochle which she still played at the age of 96. Hella and her husband joined a German singing choir and enjoyed every note. She and Fred love to dance and took every chance to enjoy a good polka.
Upon retirement from the Beulah School system, she and Fred toured all over the country. She was an avid baseball fan and followed the Minnesota Twins, never missing a game on TV; she also enjoyed watching golf on TV and was a Tiger Woods fan.
Hella is survived by her three children: Alice (Don Robertson) Menge, St. Paul; Jerome (Beth Stroup) Menge, Bismarck; and Jodi Menge, St Paul. Her three grandchildren Matthew (Kelsey) Menge, Bismarck; BriAnna Menge, Fargo; and Christina Menge, Bismarck. Her great granddaughter, Elle Menge, Bismarck. Her brother-in-law, Ralph Spier, Bismarck; and her sister-in-law, Lillian Hamby, Beulah. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and cousins.
Hella was proceeded in death by her parents, Christ and Eva Voegele; husband, Fred; and her siblings, Rudolph, Robert, Rueben, Frieda, Alvina Spier and Ray.