Days after celebrating her 112th birthday, a woman passes away

Fargo, North Dakota – This week, a community in North Dakota is experiencing grief at the loss of a cherished member.

Tuesday was the eleventh birthday of Helene Sandvig.

She turned 92 last week, making her the second-oldest person in North Dakota.

Born and raised in Leonard, North Dakota, Sandvig worked as a teacher.

She was married to Edwin for a long time, but they never had children. She lost him 32 years ago when he passed away at the age of 80.

Sandvig held their wedding photo last week at her birthday celebration. At the time, she admitted that she slept next to the picture every night.

How Sandvig passed away wasn’t immediately disclosed by Bethany Retirement Living. However, the staff stated that she will be missed and that the details of her funeral should be made public in the next few days.

They claimed to recall the times when Sandvig used to be the retirement center’s top talker.

“I was visiting with her last year on her birthday, and she said, ‘I think the car is still in the garage on the farm, I could still drive if I wanted to,’” said Grant Richardson, the retirement center’s community relations director.

She did spend a good amount of time driving. When Sandvig moved into the retirement community, she was 103 years old and still drove.

Sadly, staff members said that during the past year, cognitive deterioration had set in and her hearing had disappeared.

However, Sandvig’s strong faith and wonderful companions sustained her.