As a bell struck the nine o’clock hour, Ninabel Nolz was born in Mitchell, South Dakota on March 24, 1924, one of six children to Thomas and Molly (Krutsch) Pattison. She graduated from Mitchell High School in 1942. After high school Ninabel moved to Illinois to live with her sister. On October 8, 1943 Ninabel married Lester Janes in New Jersey, to this union three children were born, Lester, Sandra and Michael. Ninabel later moved to South Dakota and started working at a grocery store as a checkout clerk. She also worked at Newberry’s department store. It is here that she met Raymond Nolz, and on April 24, 1957 they were united in marriage in Luverne, MN. To this union one son was born, Robert. The family moved from Minnesota, to California and later settled in Eagle Bend, MN, on a farm. The couple lived on the farm until Raymond passed away in 2003. Ninabel stayed at the farm until she moved to an apartment in Eagle Bend, later moving to Windmill Ponds in Alexandria and then to Knute Nelson.
Ninabel enjoyed dancing, playing cards, watching the Minnesota Twins, playing bingo, going for car rides to look at the country side and loved all animals. She was a member of homemakers club, a garden club, the Eagle Bend Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxillary Club. She was a good listener and if you met her as a stranger, you left her as a friend. She was a fun, kind hearted woman whom had an infectious smile and laugh that will be dearly missed by all who had the opportunity to meet her.
At the age of 91, Ninabel Nolz died on Sunday, February 28, 2016 at the Douglas County Hospital. Ninabel is preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Nolz; parents, Thomas and Molly Pattison; brothers, Milton O’Telle, Duane Pattison; sisters, Orma VandeVoorde and Connie Brooks. She is survived by her children, Robert (Karen) Nolz of Alexandria, Lester Janes of California, Michael Janes of Lousiana, and Sandra Holland of California; granddaughter, Marly Nolz of Alexandria; brother, Jerry (Ruby) Pattison of Mitchell, South Dakota; brother-in-law’s, Louis (Regina) Nolz and Alvin (Devona) Nolz of Mitchell South Dakota.