Bess Manesis

Bess’ services will be livestreamed and viewable below beginning at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 23 and 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 24, 2026:

Bess Manesis, 89, of Fargo, North Dakota, passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning, April 7, 2026, following complications from hip surgery after a fall.

Born on August 20, 1936, in Spencer, Iowa, Bess was the daughter of Peter (Theophilopoulos) Davis and Voula Chronopoulou, both Greek immigrants who instilled in her a deep sense of resilience, family, and faith. Though she spent her earliest years in Iowa, she considered Norfolk, Nebraska—where her father owned The Virginia Sandwich Shop for over a decade—to be her true hometown.

Bess’ childhood was marked by challenges that would ultimately define her extraordinary capacity for thoughtfulness and compassion. When she was just 11 years old, her mother was institutionalized due to mental health struggles, leaving Bess to be raised largely under the care of her older sister, Mary, who became a surrogate mother. With their father working long hours, the two sisters forged a lifelong bond.

In high school, Bess and her dad moved to Kansas City, Missouri where she graduated from Northeast High School in 1954. Bess began her university studies at Central Missouri State University for a year before continuing at the University of Colorado in Boulder for a semester. Bess then decided to pursue a career in nursing, a calling that reflected her nurturing spirit. As a student nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Omaha, she cared for patients in the polio ward, witnessing firsthand the fragility of life and the profound importance of human compassion.

In 1959, Bess met John, a medical student at Creighton University in Omaha, on a blind date. Her friends had encouraged her to meet this fellow Greek and Bess thought John was a law student. She later explained that if she had known he was a medical student, she wouldn’t have gone on the blind date because she feared that being married to a doctor would be challenging given his long work hours.

John and Bess’ meeting marked the beginning of a lifelong partnership. They married on July 7, 1960, and Bess completed her nursing program that September. Together, they embarked on a life that would take them through multiple cities before settling in Fargo, North Dakota in 1974, following John’s radiology residency in Rochester, Minnesota.

Through every move and transition, Bess was the steady heart of the family. With remarkable strength, she raised four children, born over four years, creating a home filled with warmth, laughter, and enduring traditions. She was the bedrock of the Manesis family, teaching her children not only how to live, but how to love.

Though her early years required her to put her own ambitions aside, Bess never lost her love of learning. Later in life in the 1970s, she returned to school at North Dakota State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English in 1992 and even studying Ancient Greek where she would become lifelong friends with her instructor, Carol Andreini.

Bess had a gift for connection. She nurtured friendships across the country and maintained close ties to family in Greece through her love of handwritten letters and thoughtful cards. Long before the digital age, she was known for her meaningful correspondence; later, she delighted in sharing articles and ideas by email, always thinking of others and what might bring them joy or insight. Her warmth, kindness, and genuine interest in others created a circle of love that reached far beyond her immediate family.

Her love extended deeply to animals, especially the pets who shared her home over the years. From beloved family dogs to her cherished cats – Chelsea, Cleo, and most recently Sabrina.

Faith was a cornerstone of her life. Bess and John were longtime members of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Palm Desert, California, where they spent many winters, and of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Fargo.

To know Bess was to feel instantly welcomed. Strangers quickly became friends, and friends became family. Her warmth, kindness, and genuine interest in others created a circle of love that extended far beyond her immediate family.

Bess is survived by her children: Mary of Los Angeles, California; Stephanie of Fargo, North Dakota; George (Tanya) of Richfield, Minnesota; and Peter (Lisa) of Iowa City, Iowa. She is also survived by extended family including brother-in-law George Manesis (Georgia), Kenosha, Wisconsin; sister-in-law JoAnn Manesis, Austin, Texas; sister-in-law Stacey Manesis, Muskego, Wisconsin; numerous nieces, nephews, in-laws and John and daughter Stephanie’s beloved Goddaughter, Simbo Legesse of Shakopee, MN.

On Bess’ side of the family she is survived by her nieces and nephews – Kathy O’Riley, Maryville, Missouri; Gary Bomar (Sandy) Goodyear, Arizona; Steve Bomar (Deb) Fremont, Nebraska, and their extended families.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband John; her parents; her sister Mary and brother-in-law Harry Bomar and their child Loren Bomar; brothers-in-law Dale, Pete and Danny, and sisters-in-law Dina (Dale’s wife) and Chris (Pete’s wife); nephew-in-law Patrick O’Riley and dear friend Joan Bower who passed away one month before John.

Bess leaves behind a legacy of compassion, resilience, and love—a life that quietly but powerfully touched countless others.

Wake Service: 7:00 P.M. Thursday, April 23, 2026 at Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo.

Funeral Service: 11:00 A.M. Friday, April 24, 2026 at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church, 1603 5th St N., Fargo, ND with visitation starting at 10:00 A.M. Catered luncheon to follow funeral services on Friday the 24th at 2:00 PM at the Armory Annex, 820 Center Avenue in Moorhead, MN (enter on the East Side).

Interment: Holy Cross Cemetery North, Fargo.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to your favorite local food bank or animal rescue organization in Bess’ honor—causes that reflect her lifelong dedication to people and animals in need.