Shirley (Bayne) Aarthun

Shirley Bayne Aarthun passed away Feb. 23, 2018 in Houston, Texas.  Shirley was born on the family farm in Valley County, Montana, on August 2, 1920, to Ben and Elaine Finkenhagen Solberg.  She was 5th of her 8 siblings and was the last to survive:  Willis, Chet, Elmo, Beatrice, Vern, Jean, Albert, and Howard.  She grew up riding to school in a horse drawn wagon and in a house with no running water or electricity.  Shirley always planned to be a nurse, but after graduating from high school at age 16, she had to wait to go to nursing school at Sacred Heart Nursing School in Havre, Montana, until she was 18.  She married Bernhard Aarthun April 28, 1943, in Kingman, Arizona, while he was serving during World War II.  They lived in Maine and Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Bernie attended Milwaukee Mortuary School and Shirley worked as a nurse.  Kristine was born in
Milwaukee. They moved to Mayville, ND, where Bernie apprenticed in 1947 and 1948.  Upon answering an ad in the Lutheran Standard, they bought the Hazen/Beulah funeral home.  Daughter, Karyn, was born in Hazen. They were quite surprised to learn they also had the ambulance and were on call for 35 years!  They operated the funeral home for several counties until Bernie passed away in 1979.  Shirley worked at the Hazen Memorial Hospital for many years as the surgical scrub nurse who also did the anesthesia.  She was an active member at English Lutheran Church.  The Railroad and John Moses Parks were her passion: she brought water in a wagon for everything she planted as the parks had no running water at that time.  She golfed and oil painted.  After Bernie passed away, she moved to Phoenix, AZ.  January 1, 1983, she married Doug McDonough and shared several beautiful summers at his home in Nanaimo, BC, on the Vancouver Sound.  Doug passed away in 1988.  They had a home in Sun City, Arizona, where she lived until age 94.  She spent many summers in Plentywood, Montana, with her sister and her family.   At age 85 on November 12, 2005 she married a former neighbor from Hazen, Ken Chase.  They are fondly remembered walking down the street holding hands and lovingly supported each other as they aged so gracefully.  Ken passed away in Bismarck in 2014.  Shirley moved to Houston, TX, to be closer to family.  At Brookdale Independent Living Center and the Gardens of Bellaire Assisted Living, she was known as “The Dancing Queen.”  She lived her life to the fullest and leaves many memories with all she met.  She was a life long Lutheran and proud of her Norwegian heritage. 

Shirley is survived by her daughter Kristine and son in law, Robert Solberg and Karyn and son in law, Tim Ervin.  Grandchildren:  Steven Solberg (wife Tricia), Mickie (Scott Turner), Lisa (C.W. Mallon), Ben Ervin and Sara Ervin, and 7 Great grandchildren: Holt and Ryder Solberg, Henry, Charlie and Lottie Turner and Will and Lizzie Mallon. 

A family service will be held at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Houston, TX, March 11 at 2:00 P.M.  A service with burial will be at a later date in Hazen, North Dakota.  A remembrance of her life will be at the Solberg Family reunion in Kalispell, Montana this summer. 

Memorials may be sent in her memory to English Lutheran Church, Hazen, ND or to the Shirley Solberg Aarthun Memorial Nursing Scholarship at the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND. 

Rev. 2:10:  Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. 

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