Genevieve Durben

Genevieve “Gen” Lorraine (Hebert) Durben died Nov. 22 at her home in Fargo. She was 94. Gen was born April 27, 1921, in Fargo, to Leon and Rose (Fugere) Hebert. She graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in 1939. After high school she attended business school in Fargo and became a bookkeeper for the Manchester Biscuit Co. in Fargo. She met her future husband, Richard J. Durben, at the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) in Fargo. They were married May 4, 1944, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fargo, while he was on leave from wartime service in the United States Marines. They lived briefly in North Carolina, then returned to Fargo after the war. As a young mother, Gen was active in Homemakers and the PTA. Gen joined the League of Women Voters in 1957 in Jamestown, ND, where the family lived for about a year. She joined the Fargo League in 1978 and served as membership chair, 1986-88, and a director, 1986-90. She was President of the North Dakota League from 1990 to 1994.Her political involvement began in 1965, when she was involved in the reorganization of the Democratic Women’s Club. She worked on many campaigns, helping to elect women at all levels, and became a candidate herself for State Representative for the 45^th District in 1978. She received the Democratic Women Plus “woman of the year” award in 1990. Gen was also a longtime election judge and was active in the Roosevelt Neighborhood and NDSU Neighborhood Improvement organizations. In 1968 she fulfilled a longtime dream of returning to college. She graduated from NDSU in 1972 with majors in English and secondary education, then earned an Associate Degree in Library Science from Moorhead State University in 1973. She taught high school for a year in Borup, Minn., then was a substitute teacher for many years in the Fargo public schools. An avid chronicler, Gen filled more than 100 scrapbooks and photo albums, including a wartime scrapbook with clippings about friends and relatives who served, political and community scrapbooks, family history albums, and a great many albums documenting the lives of her children through the years. She could never sit still for long. Her house was always meticulously clean and seasonally decorated, with homemade cookies and desserts on hand for visitors plus canned goods to take home. She sewed clothing, quilts and slipcovers and crocheted hundreds of doilies. Gen was always youthful in mind, outlook, energy-level and appearance. Even in her 90s she enjoyed hosting family celebrations and loved attending her grandchildren’s recitals and concerts. She always remembered birthdays and kept in touch with extended family and friends. Gen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her sister Shirley Englund of Arizona and niece Lori Evans of Fargo. She is survived by daughters Mary (Tom Ratzloff) Durben, Howard Lake, MN, Kathleen (Will) Cooper, Fargo, Joann (Wayne) McDunn, Audubon, MN, and Jean Durben, Moorhead; sons Paul Durben, James (Kim) Durben and Brian (Michelle Nitschke) Durben of Fargo, and John (Noy) Durben, Boise, ID, and David (Dianne) Durben, Anaheim, CA. Also by sisters Marie (Ruben) Haugen, Burnsville, MN, Eileen (Roger) Cossette, Vancouver, WA, Louise (Jerry) Lingen, Chandler, AZ, and Carol Hebert, Bloomington, MN, and brothers Willard (Mary) Hebert and James Hebert of Fargo. Also by 16 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Also by schoolmate Connie McConville, Thousand Oaks, CA. Visitation will be 5-7 Friday with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center. The funeral will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday at St Francis De Sales Catholic Church, Moorhead with visitation one hour prior to the Funeral. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery North.

 

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