Roberta Biel, 70, Dickinson, died Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at St. Benedict’s Health Center, Dickinson. A rosary and funeral service for Roberta will be at 1 p.m., Friday, November 11, 2011 at Ladbury Funeral Service, With Deacon Bob Zent presiding. Inurnment will take place at St. Elizabeth’s Cemetery, Lefor. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday at Ladbury Funeral Service, with a rosary and vigil at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue from 8 a.m. to service time on Friday.
Roberta Anne Fritz was born November 8, 1941 in Dickinson, to Josephine (Schiff) and Nicholas Fritz. She attended country school while her family lived on a farm north of Lefor and St. Joseph’s school when her family moved into Dickinson. While attending Dickinson H.S., Roberta made the decision to serve other people by entering the Order of St. Benedict and attended St. Mary’s H.S. in Bismarck, where she graduated in 1959.
Roberta served the Order of St. Benedict as Sister Mary John Fritz, graduating from the University of Mary in 1963 beginning her lifelong dedication to helping others. As Sr. Mary John, she was able to expand her education by attending the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., and the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. In 1966, Roberta made the decision to leave the Order of St. Benedict but continued to help others by working in Minneapolis, Minn. as a social worker.
By 1967, Roberta had returned to Dickinson to marry Emery Biel on September 23 after which they settled on the Biel family farm northwest of Lefor. She continued her career in education by teaching German at Lefor High School. Emery and Roberta welcomed their first child, Jessica, in 1970. A second daughter, Rebecca, arrived in 1972 and their final child, Matthew, arrived in 1973.
As the children entered school, Roberta returned to education by serving as the Lefor Elementary Principal (1976–1983) and the Principal at St. Wenceslaus Elementary School (1984-1991).
One of Roberta’s lifelong passions was social justice. She was a passionate believer in women’s rights and served as the President of the ND Council on the Status of Women and was a ND Association of Women delegate to the Equal Rights Amendment Convention in 1980. Roberta was also a founding member of the Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center (formerly Women’s Alliance). As a founding member, Roberta served on the DVRCC Board of Directors and then led the organization as its Director from 1992-2007.
Roberta’s sense of social justice also extended to the environment. Her work with former governor Art Link on various environmental issues led her to co-found the Dakota Resource Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental stewardship and acting as a watchdog of practices that could be detrimental to North Dakota’s natural resources.
Roberta will be remembered for her vivid flower gardens, a skill nurtured early in her childhood by her grandmother Elizabeth (Mayer) Schiff. She was always expanding her flower garden and experimenting with new plants. Roberta enjoyed spending time with her sisters, especially the Sisters’ Weekends, the most recent being a trip to Las Vegas, Nev., where she was able to visit the Silver and Gold Pawnshop (of Pawn Stars fame). She also enjoyed attending football and basketball games, especially with her childhood friend, Kathy Goelzer. Even in retirement, Roberta continued to serve her community. She regularly volunteered at a local used book store, combining two loves of her life, books and helping others.
Roberta is survived by her husband Emery and their three children, Jessica (Gary Lucy) Biel, Minot, Rebecca (Jason Zarn) Biel, St. Paul, Minn., and Matthew (Laura) Dickinson; six grandchildren, Elizabeth, Alyson and Kaitlin Lucy of Minot; Mattilyn and Drew Biel of Dickinson; and Emma Zarn of St. Paul; nine siblings, Gary (Donna), Nick, Beth (Todd McCollom) Blacker, Kent (LaVonne), Laurie (Gerry) Biel, Cindy (Mike) Baumann, Margaret (Jay) Orth, Carol (Steve) Saville and Jack (Jackie); two brothers-in-law, Tony and Nick (Betty); three sisters-in-law, Alice Baar, Dorothy Kolling, and Rosalie Hunke; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers-in-law, one sister-in-law, one nephew and one niece.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Farm Rescue, an organization dedicated to helping family farms in crisis, in Roberta’s name. They can be contacted at http://farmrescue.org or (701)252-2017.
