Jane Vaagen
October 1, 1946 ~ July 6, 2024
Jane Vaagen was born October 1, 1946, to Cordella and Edward Mjolhus Jr. She grew up in Minot, ND for her first 10 years. Her best memories of Minot were ice skating with her older sister, Judy and her dad. It brought her joy. Then she moved to Killdeer, ND. During high school, she worked the evening shift at a local café, making and serving hamburgers and steaks for locals. She learned a lot from Ella Thompson, the owner, especially about business.
In 1965, she graduated from the IBM School of Business with a degree in Computer Science, a degree rare for women of her day. A born leader, she was the first in her family to graduate college. She moved to Dickinson, ND and applied her computer skills working for West Plains Electric for 5 years. She married the love of her life, her love at first sight, Gary Vaagen in 1969 and moved to Hebron, ND where they owned the Hebron Hide and Fur. Jane also worked at the bank at the same time. She always kept busy. If she wasn’t gardening, she was volunteering, quilting, cooking, or building things, like a parade float.
In 1972, they had a daughter and moved to Dickinson, ND. Her beloved husband passed in 1977, so she raised her daughter by herself being both “mother and father.” She did better than most because she didn’t rely on a man for income. She worked at the Queen City Club and volunteered as a Camp Fire leader for many years. She was outgoing and a true people person. She encouraged all girls to be independent and think for themselves. She also made puppets and was an extraordinary puppeteer. On Sundays, she taught Sunday School at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dickinson, ND. She always got involved in her community. She never just sat and gossiped. She had more important things to do. She didn’t drink. She didn’t smoke. She didn’t sit in bars. She never felt sorry for herself. She was extremely strong. She later moved to AZ, encouraged by a job offer and was also the manager of a restaurant. Often she worked 2 jobs. She had excellent work ethic and loved to be around people. Customers came from miles just to see her and she made a lot of friends with them. She was witty. You could always hear people laugh in her company. She also worked for the Dept. Of Education and helped create poetry anthology books. It was her favorite job. She always encouraged education.
As her daughter, she and I volunteered for the “Plant the Seed, Learn to Read” program, volunteering to pass out books at the fair. For her hobbies, she climbed mountains. Her and I would climb mountains after our work shifts. I once climbed a 5 mile hike with her to raise money for cancer. Scared and discouraged, she told me to do it for others. She pushed me to be my best. We also travelled a lot. She felt traveling was important because you ‘get to see different cultures and people, instead of just sitting inside your home not knowing anything.’ We travelled the nation at least 7 times, ocean to ocean, and travelled internationally too. We had fun! She loved going to professional games, art museums, and craft fairs. During the pandemic, we drove all over to small towns just to see new things without running into anyone. She was a lover of children, a gift of God. Her face always lit up around kids. She loved their innocence. She gave boxes of toys to kids and also donated to the homeless frequently. Always encouraging, she taught me perseverance and strength. She also taught me to never feel sorry for myself. When she had stage 1 endometrial cancer at the age of 72, she told her surgery team to “Save the bed for others. I’ll walk to my operation.” The nurse lead her down the elevator with her little penguin slippers on, and she was cured. It was an amazing testament to her giving of others and strength. She believed in God, and to do righteous things, regardless of faith. She always told me to rise above evil and negative people and that “evil people deserve my silence.” She was the epitome of class and ignored all those who did her wrong. A follower of Christ, she believed that God has a plan for everyone and accepted Jesus as her Savior. She will be truly missed. She was my best friend, travel buddy, shopping buddy, and “sistah.” She had the best of everything, although she was non-materialistic. She truly had a full and rich life.
She is survived by her only daughter, Crystal. She always said I was her blessing. She was mine.
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