Zona’s Obituary Zona Gale (McElwain) Vick, age 103, was welcomed into the loving arms of her Savior on Friday, January 18, 2019, under the compassionate care of hospice and the staff of Eventide Sheyenne Crossings Long-term Care in West Fargo, ND. Zona was born on November 2, 1915, to William and Olive McElwain on their farm 12 miles northwest of Garrison, ND. She was the third child of six, which included one brother and four sisters, all of whom exemplified the humble, dutiful character of America’s Greatest Generation.
Zona attended a country school across the road from the farmstead until fifth grade. The family eventually moved their winter home to Douglas, ND, when her older sister and brother attended high school. In that transition, she skipped sixth grade and was promoted directly into seventh grade, thereby graduating from Douglas High School in 1932, a year younger than her classmates.
Zona was an accomplished pianist, and taught piano for many years, especially in Berthold. She also served for many years as the organist for Zion Lutheran Church in Berthold and Bethany Lutheran Church in Minot. Zona graduated with a Standard Degree from Minot Normal (Minot State University) in 1934, and in 1935 at the height of the Depression, she took her first teaching job for two years at a country school south of Douglas, ND.
Her students often looked forward to recess, when she would load some of them into her dad’s green ‘35 Chevy coupe, and along with her brother’s . 22 rifle they drove the country roads to let the students scout for gophers. She made them stay in the car while she stepped out to reduce the northern McLean County gopher population.
Zona also took teaching assignments in Temvik, Pingree, Makoti, Hanks, Berthold, and Nedrose Township, all in North Dakota. In 1942 she married Orrin Vick, just prior to his departure in the Army Air Corps to the Pacific Theater of War. During the war, Zona moved to Salem, Oregon, to live with relatives while Orrin was away.
She took a job in the state tax department at the Oregon state capitol. Upon Orrin’s return from the Pacific at the conclusion of World War II, the couple moved to Berthold, ND, where they both taught. Zona taught 7th and 8th grade for many years before the family moved to Minot in 1958.
In 1963 she secured a teaching position at Nedrose Elementary School on the outskirts of Minot. During this time she continued her higher education and completed her B.S. degree from Minot State University in 1967. Orrin died in 1972.
In 1969 she was named principal of Nedrose School, and served in that position until her retirement in 1981. After retirement, Zona worked part-time in the Ward County Superintendent’s office, and was in charge of student exhibits at the North Dakota State Fair for many years. She traveled extensively with friends or relatives to many destinations within the U.S., along with trips to several countries in Europe, and to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, and Mexico.
She was active in the women’s groups at Minot’s Bethany Lutheran Church, became proficient at watercolor art, and faithfully tackled daily crossword puzzles in the Minot Daily News. At the age of 96, she gave up driving her car, but periodically would purchase an upgraded computer. In 2015, at the age of 99, she moved to Sheyenne Crossings Senior Retirement Living in West Fargo.
A stroke at age 100 diminished her ability to compete with relatives and friends in online Scrabble games on her iPad. Zona was a remarkable woman. She led an extraordinary life.
Zona is survived by: her son Brady (Julie) Vick, Fargo, her daughter Anita (Tom) Seymour, West Fargo; sister-in-law, Lela McElwain; five grandchildren, Jenny Seymour Huschka, Daniel (Chasity) Seymour, Sarah (David) Lien, Michael (Alissa) Vick, Kristina (Alek) Roslik; 11 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Zona was preceded in death by: her husband, Orrin, brother Virn McElwain, sisters Mona (Chet) Chandler, Viola (Harold) Johnson, Beulah (Kenneth) Hill, and Dorothy (Royce) Hill. Celebration of Life service: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. in Bethany Lutheran Church, Minot.
Visitation: Tuesday, January 22, 2019 from 5 to 7 at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Bethany Lutheran Church, Minot, ND.
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