Ardella Joan (Strobel) Bennett

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Bennett, Ardella Joan (nee Strobel) of Minneapolis, passed away January 5th, 2017. She was preceded in death by her parents Pauline (Beck) and Arthur Strobel, brother Carol and sisters Mildred and Mary Ann. Ardella was born on a farm near Eureka, South Dakota, September 11th, 1931 during the heart of the Great Depression. She graduated from Eureka High School in 1949 and proceeded to fulfill the dream her father wanted for her (and could not follow himself) of attending college. She graduated with a degree in medical technology from the University of South Dakota Vermillion in 1953. She married Delmond Bennett of Canistota, South Dakota, in 1953. The couple moved to Seattle where their daughter Jaimie was born and Ardella worked at Children's Orthopedic Hospital. After a divorce, Ardella moved to the Twin Cities to be closer to her roots. She managed the first coagulation laboratory in Minnesota, at the University of Minnesota Hospital until she retired in 1988. Ardella came from a long, proud line of Germans from Russia. In the early 1800s, her ancestors emigrated from Württemberg, Germany to settle in Glückstal and Hoffnungstal, Russia. Her great-grandparents immigrated to the US in 1885, homesteading in northern South Dakota. Ardella was one of several founding members of the North Star Chapter of Minnesota. The chapter is affiliated with the American Historical Society of Germans From Russia, the Germans from Russia Heritage Society and the Gluckstal Colonies Research Association. She spent much of her life researching her heritage, tracking down photographs, passenger lists, obituaries, and other records. Ardella went on to become a nationally recognized expert in German/Russian genealogy; co-authoring a book, leading workshops, and mentoring many others. She is well known for her willingness to share her knowledge and help those starting their genealogical research. Ardella will be remembered as a hard worker, a fiercely faithful daughter, mother and grandmother, and a loving and generous person: a true daughter of her German/Russian heritage. She is survived by her daughter Jaimie Pauline Bennett (Bret Hesla), grandchildren Samuel Hesla and Rosina Hesla, longtime housemate and friend Elisabeth Boxman, sister Marcella Lemmon (Duane), niece Marcia Lemmon (Jon Jacobson), niece Karla Lemmon (Tim Lueder) and great nephew Jack Lueder. Funeral services will be held at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 2315 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, Sunday, January 8th at 4pm with a reviewal at 3pm and a German meal following. Memorial gifts may be made to GRHS Building Fund, Germans from Russia Heritage Society, 1125 W. Turnpike Ave., Bismarck, ND 58501. She will be buried at Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Eureka, SD.

Published on January 8, 2017