Inez Sommer, 75, of Beulah, ND passed away Thursday, June 24, 2021. Services will be held at 2:30 PM CDT on Thursday, July 1, 2021 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Beulah with Fr. Tom Grafsgaard officiating. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Beulah.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 30 at St. Joseph Catholic Church with a vigil to follow at 7:00 PM.
Inez was born on April 26, 1946, to Alvin Hermunstad and Margaret (Fettig), in Richardton. She was raised in the Halliday/Dodge area where she attended school. Inez earned an Associate’s Degree from Bismarck Junior College.
She married Jerald Sommer on August 28, 1965, where they began their journey together which took them to the communities of Bismarck, Dickinson, Williston, and eventually their final destination of Beulah.
They were blessed with four children; Jody, Ricky, Shonda, and Tami. Many other young people in the community came to know Jerald and Inez as their “second parents”, a title which they both cherished. To quote one of them “they welcomed so many of us into their home. I think their house had a revolving door for their kids and all of their friends”.
Inez’s role as a mother branched out when she started as an aide at Beulah Elementary School. After two years in that position, she began a 20-plus year career as the school secretary. If you ask the kids who attended school there, she was more of a mother, nurse, counselor, and friend.
Her Faith, family, and community were the cornerstones of her life. She was kind, she was humble, she was selfless.
She invested her time by volunteering with the Hospice Program at the Sakakawea Medical Center. She was an active member of her church and was continuously involved in her community. She was a member of the Eagles, TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More), Red Hat Society, and Merry Mrs. Homemakers.
One of Inez’s greatest joys in life was spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. If there was a play, a sporting event, a concert, or any other activity involving her family, she was there. The joy she experienced sharing stories of all the children in her life (both at home and at school) was evident.
Inez took great pride in creating meals for family and friends. If you stopped by, regardless of the time of day, you were guaranteed to be offered something delicious to eat.
She also loved her flowers and spent time tending to her own award-winning garden. She enjoyed traveling around the world with Jerald to places such as Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and many of the US States, including Alaska and Hawaii. By the way, if there was a beautiful garden as part of the tour, Inez was there.
Inez is survived by her husband of 55 years, Jerald; their four children, Jody (Michelle) Sommer, Ricky Sommer, Shonda (Scott) Wild, Tami (Jerrid) Soupir; seven grandchildren, Miranda Sommer, Sommer (Samuel) Hager, Lance Sommer, Skylar Soupir, Garret Soupir, Sydney Wild, and Courtnee Soupir; two great-grandchildren, Dorothea Hager and Ramona Hager; her step-sister, Kathy (Jim) Tobolt; her step-brother, Cleo Schroeder; her sister-in-law, Sylvia Dobrovolsk;, and three half-nieces, Becky (Dale) Fredell, Mary (Jim) LaRue, and Nancy (Dave) Alderman.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her step-father, Frank Schroeder; half-sister, Ardis Forster; and step-brother, George Schroeder.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to Sakakawea Medical Center Hospice Program or Camp of the Cross Ministries, Garrison.
Arrangements are conducted by Barbot Funeral Home, Beulah and Hazen. Please visit our website for additional information at www.barbotfuneralhome.com.
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