Allura Sortland

Allura Meryl Sortland, age 84, was born June 15, 1933 in Seattle, WA. She passed away on October 29, 2017, at the Sanford Hillsboro (ND) Care Center. She was the daughter of Lawrence and Alma (Lovas) Amdal. She graduated from Ballard High School, Seattle, WA in 1951 and Concordia College, Moorhead, MN in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. She taught music in Emmetsburg, IA, and Valley City, ND. On August 25, 1957 she married Erle Sortland at First Lutheran Church in Valley City, ND. The family farmed in the Litchville area for a time and then moved to Jamestown, ND in 1969 where she worked as a librarian at the North Dakota State Hospital until her retirement in 1994. She and Erle moved to Hillsboro in 2006. Allura enjoyed reading, painting, music, sewing, and gardening. She especially enjoyed spending time with her beloved grandchildren and great-grandson. She was fond of cats and cardinals. She was an amateur radio operator holding an Extra class license. Allura and Erle raised three children, Tom (deceased), Matt (Pam) of Swisher, IA, and Teri (John) Wright of Hillsboro. Also surviving her are grandchildren, Brandon (Allison) Sortland, Mitchell (Monica) Sortland, Kristin Wright, Rachel Wright, and Nicholas Wright, and great-grandson Marshall Sortland. She is survived by two sisters-in-law, Marcia Strom and Pat Arthur, and several nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Erle, son Tom, step-father Adolph Nordquist, and special aunt Ruth Otte. A Prayer service will be held Friday, November 3, at 6:30 PM in the Hillsboro Medical Center Chapel. Visitation will take place Saturday, November 4, from 9:00-10:00 AM with the funeral mass at 10:00 am in St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Hillsboro. Burial will be in St. Rose Cemetery. Arrangements are entrusted to Wildeman-Boulger Funeral Home of Hillsboro. Allura’s family thanks the staff of the Sanford Hillsboro Care Center and Hospice of the Red River Valley for the excellent care she received.