Jean Wark: beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.

J ean was born in Faith, MN, on December 3, 1926. She lived most of her life in the Mahnomen area, growing up during the Great Depression. She met Jim Wark, from Zerkel, MN, at a softball game in Naytahwaush when she was only 16 years old. At the age of 17, Jean moved to Chicago and lived with her aunts and uncle. There Jean worked at a defense plant soldering wire on an assembly line and proofing maps at a printing company. This was during WWII while Jim was also in Chicago; in the Navy and training to be a radio operator. On July 29, 1944, Jean and Jim were united in marriage in Chicago. Shortly afterward, Jim was sent to the west coast and spent the next three years on a ship. Jean returned home to her family and waited for his return. After the war, Jim and Jean moved onto the "Old Wark farm" east of Zerkel. In 1947, the couple moved to Duluth, MN, where Jim found work. Their first two children, Carole and Tim were born in 1947 and 1948. They relocated back to the farm, and shortly thereafter, Rick was born in 1949 and Jeff in 1951. They moved quite a bit in the years that followed while Jim found different employment. They lived in Portland, OR, and later owned the Standard Oil Station in Fosston, MN. They were living in Naples, FL, when Jim first began his lifelong career in the construction trade. In 1957, they returned to Minnesota and purchased a 40-acre hobby farm at Mahkonce Corner east of Mahnomen. The family welcomed their daughter, Kelli in 1958. The farm at Mahkonce remained their forever home where they raised their family together.

In the years that followed, life was busy and never dull. The "Corner Store" was located right next door and was a popular stop. Because the property was on an intersection, and people were always driving by, Jim and Jean often had drop-in company. Friends and relatives would always be welcomed in for a cup of coffee and a piece of Jean's dessert. For a time, they used the property and all of its barns and brooder houses as a full-scale poultry farm. At other times, they had smaller herds of cattle and they put up hay nearly every year. For most of his life, Jim worked construction jobs which required traveling during the week. During this time, Jean remained at home with the family of five kids and managed routine life. Jean always, without fail, had a delicious supper on the table at 4:30 each day.

The family enjoyed the rewards of what came with owning property. They had a beautiful flower garden and a large vegetable garden which Jean "canned" each season. Jean was well known for her "green thumb" and people would marvel upon entering their home. She grew the most beautiful houseplants and knew exactly how to care for them. They had many beloved pets over the years, mostly dogs. She almost always had birds, and like her plants, she knew how to care for each and every one of them. Jean also tended to the wild birds who fed at her feeders outside and catered to the hummingbirds each summer. She was a fantastic cook and baker, a perfectionist at sewing, embroidery, knitting, and crochet, and kept a spotless house. She was a hard worker and always busy doing something. Jean truly loved and valued her home.

Of course, Jean had her trials and tribulations. Tim and Rick were both in the Vietnam War and during this time, Jean worked as a cook at Pinehurst Resort to help keep her mind off the worry. Jim was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and passed away in 1998, after 54 years of marriage. Jean's heart broke once again in 2009 as her son, Rick, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. Jean had a number of significant health problems over the course of her life. Those who truly knew her were well aware of her tremendous will and perseverance to overcome and survive. She was in the Mahnomen Nursing Home on two occasions - the first following surgery for a brain aneurysm. Jean remained there for three years but, triumphantly, returned home and remained there, living alone, for numerous years. In 2019, Jean suffered an illness and lived at the Assisted Living Center for a year, before returning to the nursing home during the pandemic. Jean entered Heaven on May 15, 2023 at the age of 96. Mom, we love and miss you. You are forever in our hearts. Lovingly composed by her daughter, Kelli.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James "Jim" Wark; her parents, Ben and Grace LaFriniere; brothers, Reuben and Dennis; a son, Richard "Rick" Wark; and a great-great grandchild, Tehya Clark. Jean will be missed by her children: Carole Perkins of Chillicothe, IL, Tim (Connie) Wark of Fosston, MN, Jeff (Phyllis) Wark of Naytahwaush, MN, and Kelli (Steve) Lien of Bemidji, MN; her 18 grandchildren; her 46 great-grandchildren; and her 25 great-great grandchildren; her sisters Joyce Stolpestad of Nevis, MN, and Gayle Roy of Renton, WA; brother Gary LaFriniere of Mahnomen; and sisters-in-law, Cookie and Mary LaFriniere; in addition to many nieces and nephews and longtime friends and neighbors.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 19, 2023 at Nee Gon Nee Lutheran Church, Roy Lake, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in Free Rice Lutheran Cemetery, Zerkel, MN.