Jessie Carlene Kuchar, 83, of Bismarck, passed away on Thursday, December 29, 2022.  A private family ceremony and burial will take place in the spring at her final resting place next to her husband and two daughters in St. Edwards Cemetery in Nekoma, ND.

Jessie was born July 16, 1939 in Devils Lake, ND to Clifford and Elaine Christianson and was raised and attended school in Edmore, ND.  With her parents owning the local Cafe, she spent much of her time after school there making potato dumplings and it was that Christianson recipe that she passed down to her children and grandchildren to make and enjoy to this day.  In 1958 she married Laddie Kuchar and together they farmed and raised their large family (and garden to match) just North of Edmore.   She was a member of the St. Edwards Alter Society, participated in the PTA and put many miles on supporting her children in band and sports activities.  In her very rare free time, she enjoyed reading novels, curling, going to bingo with girlfriends and was on a bowling league.  On Sundays, Mom and Dad would enjoy get-togethers with friends playing card games, horseshoes and board games, especially Aggravation, a game she later regularly enjoyed teaching and playing with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  As their brood grew older, Mom and Dad would pull the camper to Arrowhead in Devils Lake where they enjoyed relaxing, fishing and socializing with friends.  After Dad passed, Mom moved to Fargo where she spent 8 years and then to Bismarck in 2004 where she settled.  Both moves were made to help take care of young grandchildren which gave her a huge purpose after Dad passed.  During her time in Fargo and Bismarck she would also travel back home as often as she could to spend time with her children and grandchildren still living in that area.

Mom treasured her time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  When traveling was no longer an option, she learned many forms of technology and enjoyed keeping in touch with everyone by calling, texting and using video chats and rarely turned down an invitation to an in-home or virtual happy hour.  She absolutely loved getting Snapchat pictures and videos of her grands that she would save and watch over and over.  She enjoyed reading the daily newspaper, was a whiz at crossword puzzles and was an unwavering supporter of the Minnesota Vikings, NDSU Bison and the WNBA.  Also, family was trained early on not to call or text from 12:30 to 1:30 when she spent time with her Days of Our Lives family that she watched from its inception in 1965.

Jessie is survived by seven of her nine children; Kaye (Mike) Peterson, Harwood; Lori (Kevin) Frith, Devils Lake; Paul Kuchar, Edmore; Dale (Mary Ann) Kuchar, Osnabrock; Lynn (Kevin) Henke, Bismarck; Jill (Scott) Schlosser, Bismarck; Karen Wolf, Devils Lake; 19 Grandchildren, 16 Great Grandchildren; sister, Janice Erbstoesser, Moorhead, MN and many nieces and nephews whom she adored.

Jessie was preceded in death by her parents, Clifford and Elaine; Step-father, Leonard Ellefson, husband, Laddie; daughters Mary Willey and Jean Kuchar and brother, Clifford Christianson Jr.