Obituary – Wanda Poitra (77)
April 21, 1958-July 4, 2008
DUNSEITH Wanda Poitra, 50, Dunseith, died Friday, July 4, 2008, in a Rugby hospital.
She was born April 21, 1958, to Roy and Rose Ann Poitra in Belcourt.
Survivors: daughter, Bobbie Jo Poitra, Bismarck; sons, Fabian Poitra and Michael Poitra, both Dunseith; stepsons, Ryan Vettleson, Bismarck, Anthony Vettelson, Fargo; stepdaughter, Alesha Poitra, Grand Forks; three grandchildren; sisters, Diane Lenion, Belcourt, Roberta Nadeau and Barbara Demery, both of Dunseith, Ruby Morin, Spokane, Wash.; brothers, Thomas, Rodney and William, all of Dunseith.
Funeral: Thursday, 10 a.m., St. Michael The Arch Angel Catholic Church, Dunseith.
Burial: St. Louis Cemetery, Dunseith.
Prayer service: Wednesday, 7 p.m., in the church.
Wake: Wednesday, 4 p.m., in the church. (Nero Funeral Home, Bottineau)
From Bill Krause (74):
Tim,Laurie and Family..Tim I am wishing you all my best in a full and speedy recovery.I know half the battle is over, but with time I know you will complete the other half of this long journey..I can only begin to imagine the weight that has been lifted off the shoulders of everyone in your family, knowing you have been given this gift of life. Take care my Friend, and may God Bless You, and Your Family. Bill Krause
From Martha Lamb Schepp (68):
We are happy to hear of Tim’s transplants. We see Tim and Laurie frequently in Minot, we were really concerned for Tim and his family. Patience is the key.
Richard we must have missed a days e-mail since I didn’t realize you were having health problems. From the e-mails I gather that you had a heart attack. Good to hear you are doing well.
To those who were classmates of my brother, Dean. My husband Lynn, our two sons Kyle and Kevin and myself will fly out on Friday morning for Dean’s son Lauren’s wedding which will be on Saturday in Wetherford, Texas. Lauren is a veternarian in residency in Oklahoma and his to be wife, Jodie, is also a veternarian starting a residency in Texas. They will be living about 3 hrs. apart for a year. She was in New Jersey last year.
I don’t write often but enjoy the site everyday.
Thanks, Gary,
Martha
From Dave Slyter (70):
Margaret Leonard:
Those new titles are hilarious. Thanks for sharing and making my day.
To Diane Berg Rheault:
Lets have lunch someday. I work at NDSU and am close to 19th Ave. Grand Junction has a great noon luncheon. My wife Pat and I live in Sabin, Mn. Just south of Moorhead. Good to hear from you.
Dave Slyter : )
From Bobbie Slyter (70):
My thought and prayers go out to the tim hill family and for a speedy recovery, god does answer prayers GOOD LUCK TIM GO GET EM
From Shirley Olson Warcup (49):
For Margaret Metcalfe Leonard
You made my day!! That’s the best laugh I’ve had for a long time. I’m a living example of 75% of those. I called Pat Sunderland Warburton and we laughed together!!
Shirley Warcup
From Diane Larson Sjol (70):
This message is for the Morinville girls….I have great memories of
your dad. He was always making jokes and telling stories….the
article is great. Debbie you look just like him! Susan thanks for
sharing.
Diane Larson Sjol
From Evon Lagerquist (77):
Here are some Tornado pictures from Rolla
http://rolla.nd.utma.com/rolla_tornado_pictures.htm
The Minot Daily News
July 8, 2008
ROLLA – A series of tornadoes skipped across Rolette County Monday afternoon causing property damage and at least two injuries.
According to a press release from the Rolette County Sheriff’s Department, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning in northern Rolette County at 2:30 p.m. Initial indications were that a tornado touched down at the International Peace Garden on the Canadian side.
The storm then moved southeast to Belcourt, where a tornado or tornadoes skirted around the northern edge of the town shortly after 3 p.m. Dr. Richard Larson, medical director of the ambulance service at Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health in Belcourt, said a tornado was one-half to one mile to the north of town when it moved by the hospital.
“Our employees stepped out of the hospital and shot pictures with their cell phones,” Larson said.
There is no count on exactly how many tornadoes might have touched down, but Larson stated one of the nurses at the hospital saw up to four tornadoes, with two of them dropping down side-by-side at the same time near her house.
Although Belcourt was spared the brunt of the storm’s power, Larson said a house northeast of Belcourt was demolished and a man seeking shelter in the basement was seriously injured, while a puppy at the house was killed. Larson said the man was injured by a falling wall of bricks. The man, whose identity is not being released at this time, was transported to the Belcourt hospital and then air-lifted to Trinity Hospital in Minot.
Larson said that was the only tornado-related injury the hospital treated. While he didn’t know what tornado-related injuries other hospitals might have treated, he did say no other agencies asked for help from the hospital’s EMS service.
The storm then moved east to Rolla, which wasn’t as fortunate as Belcourt. The sheriff’s department reported a tornado touched down on the northwest side of Rolla at approximately 3:15 p.m. and then continued east, causing damage to residential and commercial structures on the north side of town.
According to a press release from Gov. John Hoeven, the tornado affected a roughly three-block area, and Rolette County acting emergency manager Eldon Moors reported that four homes were destroyed and eight were damaged. Otter Tail Power Cooperative also turned off power to the area to ensure safety. The press release said preliminary reports from Belcourt indicate at least one home was heavily damaged while several others suffered lesser damage.
While there were no serious injuries reported in Rolla, a city firefighter did sustain minor injuries when his vehicle was struck by a tornado as he was observing the storm approach the city.
For those displaced from their homes in Rolla by the storm, the American Red Cross provided relief at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.
“We extend our sympathy to those who were injured and to the families whose homes were destroyed or damaged,” Hoeven said in the statement. “I’ve asked the Department of Emergency Services to respond with any state resources the communities feel are necessary to help in the aftermath of this destructive storm.”
Hoeven will meet with local officials in Rolla today at 8 a.m. A news conference will then be held at the Rolette County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Hoeven will also be in Belcourt to meet with Doc Brien, tribal chairman, at 10:30 a.m. at the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters.
Sherie and Randy Zupan, who live about two miles southwest of Belcourt, were at a store in Rolla when the tornadoes touched down.
“My husband yelled at me to come out and look at this,” Sherie Zupan said.
Randy Zupan wanted to get a better look, so the two jumped into their vehicle and drove to the C-Store.
“Like a crazy person, we stayed out and took pictures on our phone,” Sherie Zupan said. “It was pretty devastating.”
The Zupans reported seeing three or four tornadoes touch down, and also saw two touch down at the same time. After the storm moved away, they drove around the city to see the damage. The Zupans said there were several houses destroyed about a mile south of Rolla’s airport, which is north of the city.
“When we went out to look at it, there were roofs off, shingles, trees pulled right out, the roots and all,” she said.
They then left Rolla as rescue efforts intensified and drove north to St. John. They saw the wreckage of a red four-door truck that had been thrown into a telephone pole. They also discovered the straw-insulated building at the Anishinabe Learning, Cultural & Wellness Center a few miles north of Belcourt had one side of the roof pulled off. A family that lived in the area had their house damaged and their pontoon was sitting in a tree.
“It was a pretty good-sized pontoon, so it was a pretty strong tornado,” Sherie Zupan said.
Zupan says she’s seen tornadoes before, but this is the first time she’s experienced their power first hand.
“I’ve seen tornadoes, never this close,” she said. “I never want to go through this again. It was pretty scary.”
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