Joni Ann Altringer

Joni’s Live Streamed Funeral Mass can be viewed below starting shortly before her Mass on Monday:

Joni Ann Altringer, born January 2, 1941, died May 17, 2023, in Fargo, North Dakota. Joni attended Eckelson School and graduated in 1958.

She then received an Art Major degree at Valley City State in 1971. Joni went on to receive a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling at NDSU and graduated in 1980. She worked many years for the state of North Dakota as a Vocation Rehabilitation Counselor. Her real talent and love was art, and, from a very young age, she was drawing and painting. Her passion led her to receive a Master’s Degree at a prestigious Art Therapy school in Columbus, Ohio in 1994.

After graduating, she worked as an art therapist at the Circle of Nations Wahpeton Indian School in Wahpeton, ND. She loved her work with the children and was able to teach them techniques that helped them create beautiful art, rich in their Native American culture.

Joni’s time at the school was cut short, as she developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and had a bone marrow transplant 23 years ago at the Mayo Clinic. She continued to paint everything and anything, including her cancer journey, trees, the oldest Oak Tree in MN, sunflowers, mountains and streams from Estes Park, and angels. She was sketching up until the day she died. While she lived in Fargo she was a member of Nativity Church and coordinated a cancer support group at Nativity for many years, which she loved. She was an associate of the Presentation Sisters in Fargo and was involved in many of their activities, including retreats, social justice issues, and prayer groups in which she shared many of her artistic talents.

Joni leaves behind four children, Gary Schlager (Eileen) from California; Vicky Jones (Terry) from Valley City, and their children Christopher (Lindsey), Joshua and Justin and his children Daxyn and Brexyn; Lauri Carlson, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and her son Shaun ( Michelle) Schlager and their son Hunter; Kevin Schlager (Randie) from Valley City and their children Josh and (Kari) Solberg and children Rylee, Paityn, Evelyn; Brandon and (Heather) Solberg and children Rachel, Blake and Jack, and Travis (Andrea) and children Emry and Griffin. She is also survived by her sisters Janet Lowe (Thomas) and Mary Williams (Rick). She also leaves behind two brothers, Douglas Altringer (Patty), Paul Amann (Gayle), as well as many nieces and nephews, and many good friends.

She is preceded in death by a daughter who was full term stillborn (1961), son-in-law Kevin Carlson (2006), greatgrandson Landon (2019), brothers Gary Altringer (1953), and Louie Altringer (1980), and William Altringer (2019), sister Rosemary (1962); her parents Wilbert Altringer (1954), mother Luella Amann (2013) and stepfather Richard Amann (2015).

Funeral services will be at St. Catherine’s, Valley City, North Dakota, on Monday, May 22, 2023, with a visitation from 10am-11am and the funeral at 11am. Lunch will follow the church services prior to the burial at the Sanborn Cemetery.

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