Cleo Kathryn Kulish, 94, Dickinson, passed away on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at St. Benedict’s Health Center, Dickinson. Cleo’s Funeral Service will be at 3 p.m., Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Ladbury Funeral Service, Dickinson, with Pastor Rande Kerr as officiant. Interment will take place at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.
Cleo Kathryn Miller was born October 5, 1929, in Mercer County at the Weil farm 8 miles south of Beulah to August Miller and Tillie (Weil) Miller. Her maternal grandmother, Katherine (Fischer) Weil Neher, delivered her along with her three siblings: As the eldest daughter, Cleo became her father’s right hand man. She plowed the fields with horses, hauled water, helped with the chores, and then helped her mother when the threshing crew came to their place.
Her education began in a one room country school house one mile south and west of their farm located north and east of Beulah. It was in Second Grade that Cleo decided she wanted to become a teacher. But, she had to work for it. To earn her board and room for high school, Cleo helped the school custodian at Hazen High School. She graduated in 1947. With WWII over and a shortage of teachers, Dickinson State Teachers’ College offered a 12 week course to obtain an Emergency Teaching Certificate to begin teaching that fall. The school year ran from October through April.
Cleo’s teaching career began in country schools located in Mercer County, Adams County, Dunn County and in Stark County for a total of 10 years. She taught in the Killdeer Public School, the South Heart Public School before being hired in the Dickinson Public School where she taught 28 years. Cleo taught a total of 42 years.
It was while teaching in Adams County that she met Fred Kulish. His brother, Andrew, who had taught in Mercer County before WWII, introduced him to Cleo. They married in Hazen on October 5, 1951. The first years of their marriage, they lived on the Kulish homestead. On December 4, 1952, their first child, Marlowe Francis Kulish was born. In 1954, they built their home in Dickinson, ND. Their second child, Carma Cleone Kulish, was born on January 21, 1957.
As a teacher, Cleo obtained her two year Standard license. When ND required a Bachelors’ degree for teachers, she went back to DSTC and graduated in 1963. While teaching in the Dickinson Public Schools, Cleo earned her Masters’ degree in Reading in 1977 from Eastern in Billings, MT. Besides Reading being her favorite subject to teach, Mom also liked History.
It was during high school Cleo accepted the Lord. Two pastors had prayed for revival in Zap, and Mom took the train over to hear the revivalist during the final week, and made her profession of faith. Later she admitted that it wasn’t until she and Dad were attending the Manning Baptist Church that she grew in her relationship with her Lord and Savior. Not only did Dad come to accept Jesus Christ as Lord, but also their children. Whether our family was attending church either in Manning or in Dickinson, Mom helped teach Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. At Hillside Baptist Church, she also taught the Senior Bible Study. She was treasurer for the church’s Women Ministries.
When Stonecroft Ministries began in Dickinson, Mom helped out with calling and taking reservations, being a table hostess, helping make the table decorations, hosting the guest speakers overnight, or participating in their Special Feature. The first Special Feature was a Bridal Parade, and Mom wore her wedding dress. She later took the training to be a speaker for the After Five Club, and spoke in both Montana and here in North Dakota. Later she became the Bible Study Coordinator, a position she held for many years, and led Stonecroft Bible Studies in church, individual homes, assisted living and nursing homes until 2018.
As a teacher she was actively involved in Delta Kappa Gamma and the International Reading Association. This included being treasurer for Delta Kappa Gamma. With the IRA, Mom held various local positions, and was appointed State Coordinator for ND for a short period. This allowed Cleo and Dad to attend the National IRA Convention in California where they got to experience Disneyland.
The North Dakota Woman’s Christian Temperance Union organization held a special place in her life. She started out on the local level in various positions, and on the state level was a Youth Temperance Council Camp Counselor and later its Director, and served as State President from 2000-2009. Mom attended the National WCTU Conventions beginning in 2000 and until 2019. The conventions were held throughout the US where she served on several committees. She attended the World WCTU Conventions in Norway and New Zealand. She was appointed and served as World WCTU Education Director. Cleo was honored by her family with Life certificates from the NDWCTU, the National WCTU, and the World WCTU.
Traveling was important to both Cleo and Fred. As a family, we went to Seattle to see the Space Needle, and later to Expo in Montreal, Canada. The highlight was the cruise near Niagara Falls. Cleo and Fred continued their travels together for Dad’s USS Birmingham Reunions throughout the US. They participated in the 50th anniversary for the Iwo Jima invasion. From American Samoa, they flew to Iwo Jima, and on the way home spent three days in Hawaii. The only state Mom didn’t travel in was Alaska.
Mom’s travels included Germany to visit her sister Mardell and family. A side trip to Sweden to visit Johan Helmfrid and his family, a foreign exchange student who lived with us. A side trip to Australia with a group of other teachers, and finally a visit to Ukraine with other Germans from Russia descendants. Along with Johan, Dad and Mom hosted foreign exchange students Vilmar Strey from Brazil, and Lucy Hernandez from Columbia.
Retirement activities included substitute teaching in Belfield, South Heart, Fairfield, and Medora. She helped the election board on voting day. Daily walking to the Public library or DSU’s library to read the newspaper and do the cryptograms. All this along with taking care of her home and house plants, canning, gardening and freezing its produce, crocheting and embroidering, personal devotions, and reading the Bible through in a year for over 40 years.
Cleo is survived by her children: Marlowe Francis Kulish, Moorhead, MN; and Carma Cleone Kulish, Dickinson, ND; two grandchildren: Sara Kulish, IA, and Christopher (Jaci) Kulish, MN; five great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson. On her casket, the white roses represent her deceased family members, the yellow roses represent her children, the white stock flowers represent her grandchildren, the yellow carnations represent her great-grandchildren, and the pink carnation represents her great-great-grandson.
Cleo was preceded in death by her parents: August and Tillie Miller; her husband: Fred Kulish; her three siblings: Florence Dorothy Kostelnak, 11/08/1930 – 01/31/2011; Mardell Mavel Tatum, 12/05/1934 – 04/01/2004; and Janet Dean Tysver, 09/20/1942. Two brothers-in-law: Robert Kostelnak and Carlos Tatum; two nephews: Joel and Jay Tysver, and daughter-in-law, Janelle Skalman Kulish.
In lieu of flowers, Cleo’s family would prefer donations to the Gideons International, www.gideons.org. A special ‘Thank You’ to her friends who helped her daughter take care of her these past five years, especially her personal flower lady, Rosa Haas.
