Mavis Lein

God has chosen to take our wonderful mom home and release her from her illness. She is now home in heaven with her mom and dad and other family members.

Mavis Virginia Iwen was born on August 5, 1928, to August and Helen (Townsley) Iwen at her grandparents' home in Amenia Township, ND. She was the second born and first daughter of August and Helen. She grew up on a farm near Amenia and by the age of five was standing on a pail to hang diapers on the clothesline to help her mom with their growing family. Their family was famous for two sets of twins born in the 1930s. Mavis attended a country school and then high school in Amenia. She was confirmed at St. John Lutheran church, Arthur.

In the mid 1940’s she and her older brother Robert moved to a small farm west of Arthur. She got a job at the Arthur drugstore working for Charles Lein Sr. After Robert got married, she lived at the Arthur hotel with girlfriends. By now she had been noticed by the druggist’s son Jr. Lein. They were married on July 9, 1950. After their marriage they lived in Kansas City, MO, then moved back to Fargo. While living in Fargo, daughters Pam and Vicki were born. In 1958 they moved to Arthur where a few years later another daughter Brenda was born. She was a great mom who made sure we girls were well cared for.

Mavis was a wonderful cook and baker. She made and shared many cinnamon rolls for neighbors. Her mom and sister Patsy spent every Wednesday and Saturday at each other’s houses trying out new recipes on one another. She taught Sunday school at St. John Lutheran, Arthur, for many years. In her spare time, she liked to do crossword puzzles and later word searches. She enjoyed the soap “Days of our Lives”, the game show “Let’s Make a Deal” and variety shows on TV. She also loved cheering for the MN Twins. No matter how lobsided the score she would watch the whole game. She loved going every summer to at least one Twins game. Mavis also bowled for 20 years in Casselton in league bowling.

In 1987 Mavis and Jr. moved back to Fargo to be closer to their daughters and families. She enjoyed watching her grandchildren in their sports, dance, school and church programs. She loved to bake for them and would help us anytime we needed her to watch the grandkids. Mavis also bowled for another 10 years in Fargo on a league with her daughters. She kept their yard immaculate until health issues slowed her up. In 2017, she and Jr. moved into Eventide assisted living center in Fargo.

Mavis is survived by her husband of 72 years, Charles (Jr.) Lein, daughters Pamela Jondahl and Brenda (Kevin) Wolf both of Fargo; Vicki (Larry) Peihl of West Fargo. There are seven grandchildren: Nicholas (Jeanne) Peihl, Grafton, MA; Justin (Shelby) Jondahl, Fargo; Jessica (Justin) Hill, Hazen, ND; Jordan (Alexis) Wolf, Stillwater, MN; Tiffany (AJ) Pflugrath, San Diego, CA; Joshua Wolf, Encinitas, Ca and Jacob Wolf, Fargo. There are nine great grandchildren: Lexi Jondahl, Broderick, Quinten, Wesley, Sage, Talen and Kaiser Hill; Franklin and Oliver Wolf. She also is survived by her brothers James Iwen, Tioga and Donald Iwen , Fargo; a sister Paulette (Orv) Bean, Moorhead; sisters-in-law Mary Jane (Donnie) Paul, Arthur; Suzie Smith, LaVernia, TX and Nancy (Jim) Carl, Littleton, MA.

She was preceded in death by her parents August and Helen, brothers Robert (Bev) Iwen, Ronald (Margaret) Iwen, and sisters Jean (Wayne) Anderson, Jane (Marvin) Tehven, June (infant), and Patsy Gebeke and her sister-in-law Joanne (Bert) Iwen.

We have been blessed to have our mom for 94 years and are grateful for the care provided by Hospice of the RRV. If you wish to give a memorial, we suggest Hospice of the Red River Valley or Alzheimer’s Association.

Funeral Service:   Friday, May 19, 2023, at 2 pm in West Funeral Home, West Fargo, ND, with visitation held one hour prior to her service.

Burial:   Arthur Cemetery, Arthur, ND

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