Esther S. Boadwine

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Esther Boadwine, 81, of rural Baltic passed away Friday September 8, 2017 at the Dougherty Hospice House.

Funeral services will begin at 2:00 PM Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at West Nidaros Lutheran Church, rural Crooks. Visitation will be from 5-7:00 PM Tuesday at the church.

Esther was born May 20, 1936, to Dan and Selma (Thompson) Eitrheim. She grew up on the farm her grandparents homesteaded west of Baltic with three older brothers, Norman, Donald, and James. She graduated from Lyons High School in 1954 and from Augustana College in 1958, with a degree in nursing. In the early years after becoming an RN, she worked in hospitals in Clear Lake, Watertown, and Dell Rapids. At age 55, she returned to nursing and worked at the IOOF Nursing Home, later known as Dells Area Health Center Nursing Home, for 10 years until her retirement. She loved caring for the residents on their last journey in life.

She met William (Bill) Boadwine on a student nurse affiliation in Watertown. They were married on October 3, 1959. They lived on a farm north of Hayti and moved to the Eitrheim home farm in 1961. Among her many duties as a farm wife, Esther fed the baby calves, did the farm bookkeeping, and fed all the farm help. In 2006, Bill and Esther started spending the winter months in Green Valley, AZ, where they made many new friends and traveled throughout the area.
Esther was a member of West Nidaros Lutheran Church where she was faithful in worship, taught Sunday school, served on the church council, and had leadership roles in WELCA. She started a visitation group called Caring Friends and made flannel baby blankets for the newborns of West Nidaros. She embraced her Norwegian heritage, particularly at Christmas time when she enjoyed making Hardanger lefse for her family, along with tea rings and clover leaf rolls that her grandchildren loved so much.

Esther is survived by her husband, Bill; three children, Kent (Kathy) of Sioux Falls, Lynn (Trish) of Baltic, and Mary (Vic) Ochoa of Cedar Falls, IA; six grandchildren, Daniel (Dominique Boudreau) Boadwine, Sarah (T.J.) Sullivan, Riley Boadwine, Patrick Boadwine, Rachel Ochoa, and Erin Ochoa; one great-grandson, Zane Boadwine; a brother, Norman (Clarice) Eitrheim; sisters-in-law, Joan Eitrheim and Diane Eitrheim; and eight nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Donald and James Eitrheim; a niece, Susan Lankford; and a nephew, Dr. David Eitrheim.