Nancy Lou Kjelgaard

Nancy Lou Kjelgaard completed her physical life with her husband by her side on March 28, 2025, under the care of Hospice of the Red River Valley and Touchmark staff. Also, faith, family, and friends were pillars that supported Nancy on the winding journey with Alzheimer’s disease.

Nancy was born November 15, 1944, in Lakota, North Dakota, the daughter of Tony and Edna Foley. Her youth meant making mud pies in the granary, caring for favorite doll Mary Lou, and spending time with her sister Jacky, who remained close over her lifetime. Good friends in high school were Sheree, Virginia, and Mary Jane. She cleverly labeled the group “Nanc ‘n Sheree, Virg ‘n Mary.”

In 1965, Nancy graduated from Valley City State University with a degree in elementary education. Butch proposed to Nancy on April Fool’s Day in front of Ed’s Popcorn Stand in Valley City. Time proves this was no joke. She and Butch were married on August 11, 1967, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lakota, ND. She and her husband Harold “Butch” Kjelgaard spent the first three years of a thirty-five-year teaching career in Mohall, North Dakota. The remainder of her career was spent with the Fargo Public Schools. Nancy’s sense of humor and compassion for the job created friendships with students, fellow teachers/administrators, and parents that remained strong throughout her life. During her teaching career, she and Marlene Hefta owned Variety Tours traveling across the country with the New York City Christmas tour being especially memorable for many.

May 1, 1973, marked the birth of Eric and October 30, 1978, the birth of Chad. Nancy and Butch enjoyed following their participation in music and athletics during their high school years at Fargo South. KJ (Nancy) and Bumpa (Butch) are so proud of the fine men they are.

Upon retirement in 2000, Nancy, Jacky, and friends enjoyed traveling across the USA, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2003 Nancy and Butch spent eighteen years in Arizona first as snowbirds at Sunflower Resort and then as year-round residents in Sun City West. The music shows, the new friendships, the worship services, and the holiday celebrations gave Nancy and Butch much on which to reminisce.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Tony and Edna Foley, a daughter at birth, daughter-in-law Andrea, stepdad Reg Connelly, numerous aunts and uncles, memorable brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law.

Nancy is survived by her husband of fifty-eight years Butch, Eric (Susan) Kjelgaard, Chad (Theresa) Kjelgaard, grandchildren Conner, Gia, Paige, and Ellie, her sister Jacky, plus numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A celebration of Nancy’s life is planned for May 8 at Touchmark in south Fargo at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Red River Valley or Alzheimer’s research.