Marilyn Halstensgard, 65, Fertile, MN, passed away from Mesenteric Ischemia on Thursday, June 25th, 2026 at Essentia Health in Fargo ND.

Marilyn Teresa Payment was born to the late James and Bertha (Gustafson) Payment on September 26th, 1960 in Newton, Iowa. On July 4, 1992, She married Luther Halstensgard at Polk County Roadside Park and they enjoyed many happy years together.

Marilyn always had a deep love for her country and in the 1980s, spent some of her young adulthood participating in Civil War reenactment. She learned to live off the land, sleeping in tents,and learning how to sew and cook.

She loved to cook and host parties; it was one of her favorite things. If you ever visited her home, she would always offer you a drink and stuff you full of tasty food, then send you home with leftovers. She never ran out of ideas because she loved to collect and read cookbooks. Her favorites were the ones that had funny little quotes or stories.

In between raising her children and grandchildren, she liked tending to her garden. Calling on her experience from spending time on the Payment farm as a young girl and the Civil War reenactment, she grew vegetables and canned a lot of them. She also had a beautiful flower garden and quite a green thumb with indoor plants.

Marilyn was incredibly kind and selfless. She would give you the shirt off her back and make sure you had a warm meal before sending you home with leftovers. She never made you feel stupid for asking questions. She would tell it to you like it was and then help you pick up the pieces or give you the love and comfort you needed to figure things out.

Always curious, she would talk to you about anything and everything before asking you to dance. When she was with people, Marilyn was having fun.

She enjoyed all sorts of music. Everything from Led Zeppelin and Ozzy Osbourne, to P!nk, Evanescence, and Sleep Token. She was always happy to grab a drink and dance to the music, enjoying life to the fullest. Over the years, she collected hundreds of record albums and CDs, always having her favorites on hand..

In honor of Marilyn, please wear any t-shirt you have of bands from the 1970's & 80's.

Marilyn is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Halstensgard, step-daughters Amanda (Taavi) Korpi and Christine Halstensgard. Mother-in-Law Estelle (Flatten) Halstensgard, many grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and extended family.

She is preceded in death by her parents, James and Bertha (Gustafson) Payment, sisters Kathy Cherf and Debby Skorupski, husband Luther Halstensgard, and son James Halstensgard.

Celebration of Life: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at 106 Washington Ave NW Fertile, MN.

Intimate Graveside Service : 2:00 PM Concordia South Cemetery, Fertile, MN.

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