Eileen Joyce (Molstad) Stagl, 98, Dickinson, died peacefully Sunday afternoon, September 8, 2019, at St. Luke’s Home in Dickinson, surrounded by her family. There will be a Celebration of Life Service for Eileen at 11 a.m., Friday, September 13, 2019 at Ladbury Funeral Service. Interment will follow at the New England Cemetery. There will be a Gathering of Family and Friends on Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Ladbury Funeral Service.
Eileen was born June 25, 1921, in Glenham, S.D., daughter of Minnie (Amundson) and Theodore Molstad. With her three sisters, Maxine, Virginia, and Donna, she grew up on a farm four and a half miles northwest of Glenham, where she attended school for 12 years. She was active in drama, music, and basketball. Eileen was her father’s helper, working in the fields and the barn with him and her cousin Omer. After high school, Eileen enrolled in Mankato Business College in Minnesota. Working for her room and board as an evening babysitter for the Deweys of Mankato, Eileen finished college and worked for the Farm Security Administration in county and district offices in several Minnesota towns before being transferred to Selby, S.D., in 1946.
While working in Selby, Eileen met Albert Stagl, who owned Al’s Alleys in Mobridge, and they were married on October 25, 1946. Following their wedding, Eileen and Al moved to New England, where they farmed until 1981. Eileen was active in New England in Evening Guild, Homemakers’ Club, Sewing Club, and bowling. She was a Sunday School teacher and a 4-H leader for many years, and she served on the Clark Township School Board as treasurer. She loaded and unloaded many a truck full of grain, butchered chickens, and yet dressed like a fashion model for public occasions.
After retiring from farming, Eileen and Al moved to El Dorado Acres, south of Dickinson. They continued to bowl several times a week, grow their garden, and entertain friends and family. Their children and grandchildren called this place “home.” In 2005, Eileen and Al bought a twin home in Dickinson, where Al passed away in March 2006, and Eileen lived there two more years before moving to Park Avenue Villa in August of 2008. Eileen loved living at Park Avenue.
Eileen is survived by three daughters: Sheryl (Phillip) McIntyre of Fargo, Donna Ritter of Bismarck, Janis (Bart) Germaine of San Clemente, Calif.; and two sons, Gary Stagl of Bismarck and Daniel Stagl of New England. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Lisa (Terry) Sizemore of Chicago, Ian (Marla) McIntyre of Fargo, Joshua (Jennifer) Ritter of Bismarck, Deanna (John) Bren of Dickinson, Allison Stagl of St. Paul, and Nick Stagl (Danielle Clark) of Bellingham, Wash.; and thirteen great-grandchildren: William, Emma, Parker, Eliza, Alicia, Hayden, Gavin, Easton, Brooks, Connor, Hunter, Cooper, and Emersyn; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Eileen was preceded in death by her husband Albert, her parents, and her three sisters – Maxine Moe, Virginia Simons, and Donna Walsh.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or Shriner’s Children Hospital in memory of Eileen, since she loved children most of all.
