CHRISTINE KRAUS, 71, of Halliday, North Dakota, died Friday, August 19, 2016 at Sanford Health, Bismarck, ND. Services will be held at 9:00 AM MDT, on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at St. Paul Catholic Church, Halliday, with Msgr. James Shea and Fr. Darnis Selvanayakam officiating. Burial will be held at a later date.

Christine was born in Berne, Switzerland on December 18, 1944, daughter of Werner and Elisa Kälin. She attended parochial schools in Berne and graduated from the École Hôtelière de Lausanne in 1966, with a Swiss Federal Hospitality Certificate. Christine then worked as a restaurant and hotel manager at various establishments in Switzerland. While working in Bissone, Switzerland, she met René Kraus and soon emigrated to the U.S.A. René and Christine married in Santa Rosa, California in 1982. Together, they managed restaurants in Santa Rosa, Los Angeles and Atlanta, Georgia. Christine’s parents joined the couple in California. For health reasons, Christine’s mother left for North Dakota (with Donna Wilhelm, her beloved nurse), where the couple joined them in 1995. They were gracefully welcomed by the community and for 15 years owned and operated ‘René’s Restaurant’ in Halliday, which quickly gained a reputation for Old World hospitality and excellent food.

After retirement, Christine became a ‘grandmother’ and babysitter for the neighboring Schleppenbach children (Owen, Ivy and Coy), who were cherished like her very own children. Christine was not only an expert cook but also made and collected rare dolls (& elephants!).

In addition to the Schleppenbach children, Christine is survived by her husband, two sons (Peter & Thomas) and two grandchildren (Alexander & Jonathan).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Bismarck Cancer Center Foundation (http://www.bismarckcancercenter.com/donate.aspx) in her name.

Arrangements conducted by Barbot Funeral Home, Beulah and Hazen.

 Service Information