Small Town News

Melva (Karges) Stanley

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July 20, 1921 - March 8, 2010

Melva (Karges) Stanley, the daughter of Frank and Lillian (Clark) Karges was born July 20, 1921 at her parental farm home in Stanton, North Dakota. Melva, at the age of 12, accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. As a follower of Christ, she immediately made Bible and prayer the building blocks of her life. Melva was raised on the family farm, attended country school, graduated from Hazen High School, Hazen, North Dakota. Upon graduating from high school she obtained a teacher's certificate and began teaching wiith her father at the Red Butte Consoliidated School. She later taught at the: rural school near her home.

During World War II she and her sister did a large portion of the farming as well as the milking. After the war, she attended and graduated from Regina Bible College. She also attended Bible College in Minot for one year and was married that summer to Clarence E. Stanley, August 14, 1946. Together they returned to Bible College in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, where she taught the Pauline Epistles, while Clarence attended Bible College. Through the college and seminary years 1948-1956, she supported her husband, raised a family, and ministered as a faithful pastor's wife, and loving mother, teaaching Bible Studies, Sunday School, DVBS in Mc-Cluskey/Goodriclh, North Dakota, Allendorf, Iowa and Malvern/Fair Haven, IL. In the years 1956-1967 she continued her ministry and multiple positions of: support within the EUB Churches they served in Drake, Balfour, Upham and Bantry. In the summer of 1967 they were assigned to Elgin, North Dakota and served there at Zoar and Ebeneezer UCC, In 1974 they founded the family ministry and retreat center. Cross Roads Range, St. John, North Dakota. Upon retiring from CRR in 1988, they moved to Rugby where she continued her Christian teaching in Rugby, Leeds and Pleasant Lake. Melva was honored and much loved as a wife, mother, grandmother, Bible teacher and pastor's wife.

She died at the age of 88 years on Monday, March 8, 2010 at the Heart of America Care Center in Rugby, North Dakota. Mourning her loss are her husband, Clarence; two sons, Leonard and Eugene (Ruth) all of Rugby; two daughters, Sharon (Jim) Canfield, Columbus, ND and Alice Abrahamson, St. John, ND; 9 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; one sister, Marilyn (Karges) Fiesel, Martin, ND; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by 3 brothers, one son-in-law, Gary Abrahamson and her parents.

Funeral services: were held Saturday at the Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Rugby with spring burial in the Persilla Watts cemetery. Rev. Nathan Steen, officiate

Arrangements with the Anderson Funeral Home of Rugby.



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© 2010 Mouse River Journal Towner, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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