Ardis Doraine Stevens, 87, of Williston passed away on July 18, 2020 at Bethel Lutheran Home in Williston, ND.

Ardis Stevens was born on September 6th, 1932 in Plentywood MT. to Vernon and Millie (Francis) Stevens. She was raised and educated in Antelope and Plentywood MT.

She met the love of her life at a Harvest Festival Dance in Plentywood. Lorring and Ardis were headed to the dance floor and someone hollered, "Hey Stevens" and they both turned around and discovered they had the same last name. She went home and told her grandmother and her parents she had met the man she was going to marry and his last name was Stevens too. Her grandmother told her to go to bed, that she must be drunk and the only Stevens' she knew from that area owned a bar and no granddaughter of hers would be married to a bar keeps son! Lorring and Ardis were married a year later in Antelope MT. on Oct. 20th, 1950 and to this union 3 children were born Dusty, Naomi and Lorri.

Ardis was proud to be married to a farmer and loved their time on the farm raising different breeds of chickens. She always raised a huge garden canning everything, vegetables, fruits and meats. Sewing most of the children’s clothes, even undergarments and jeans. Buying old clothes at the Salvation Army and remaking them into clothes or stuffed animals for the kids. When patching clothes, she would get creative and make the patches in the shapes of flowers with stems and leaves or in the shape of animals so they didn’t look patched. Ardis taught herself how to reupholster furniture and how to crochet. She loved to write children's stories, poems, and long letters (like 7 pages long!) and always kept a journal. Crossword puzzles and reading were 2 more favorites.

In 1974, Ardis decided to work outside the home. She worked at Webster School in the lunchroom and then ran home and changed her clothes and went to work at Mode O' Day Women's Clothing Store in the afternoons. She also worked at H&H Shoes until it closed and then at Walmart when they first came to Williston.

Ardis taught Sunday School for many years in Medicine Lake MT. and in Williston. She started an adult Sunday School class for the learning disabled. She had read the Bible from cover to cover many times. The house was always filled with Christian music. She would put a Christian album on the record player and crank it up while cleaning or baking.

If you admired something of hers, you were probably leaving her house with it. If someone commented on a necklace or a scarf she was wearing, she would take it off and give it to them.

She loved to cook and bake. We had homemade bread until she started working outside the home. Everyone THINKS their mom made the best fry bread, but we KNOW our mom made the best! She also made the best carmel rolls and people requested them.

When the grandkids were young, they loved to stay on the farm or in town with grandma and grandpa. For breakfast she would make them pancakes in whatever shape they wanted. They came up with some almost impossible ones, like a ninja rat with a hockey stick, but she was always a good sport and made whatever they wanted.

Ardis will be greatly missed, but she is home with her Savior and we will be reunited with her someday.

Surviving Ardis is her husband of almost 70 years, Lorring Stevens of Williston ND; son, Dusty (Tricia) Stevens of Gilbert, SC; daughters, Naomi Stevens of Williston, ND, Lorri (Brett) Hinricksen of Williston ND; grandchildren, Caleb (Micki) Hinricksen of Williston ND, Tyler (Liz) Hinricksen of Williston ND, Lexie (Todd Snyder) Hinricksen of Dickinson ND, Michelle Stevens of San Antonio TX; great-granddaughters, Easton Hinricksen, Freya Hinricksen of Williston ND; sister, Vicki (Hank) Penner of Liscomb, IA; sister-in-law, Elotie Stevens of Great Falls MT; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Vernon Stevens and Millie Fischell; stepfather, Victor Fischell; sisters, Ramona (Ralph) Parpart, Corrine Kleinhans; brother, Jerome (Jerry) Stevens and his daughter, Debbie Costantino.