Cecilia “Patty” Durand, age 84 of Grafton, ND, passed away on Friday, March 22, 2024, surrounded by family at her home in Grafton.
Cecilia M. “Patty” Kliniske was born May 1, 1939, in Pembina County, ND, the second daughter of 14 children to the late Joseph and Lillian (Pearson) Kliniske. She graduated from Grafton High School in 1957. Patty received her teaching certification from State Teachers College in Mayville in 1958 and later received her B.S. in Education from Mayville State College in 1976. She taught in all Grafton Public Schools but spent most of her years teaching 1st grade at Chase Elementary School.
Patty was united in marriage to Melvin Durand on June 27, 1960, in St. Thomas, ND. The couple made their home in Grafton until moving to Oakwood where they built their home in 1970. After Melvin passed away on January 11, 2006, Patty continued to make her home in Oakwood until moving to Grafton in August of 2020.
She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Oakwood, ND and St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Grafton, ND. She also belonged to the Oakwood Homemakers, Oakwood Altar Society, and was the co-founder of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner for widows and widowers. Patty loved growing up on the farm and traveling with the “Kliniske Aunt Colony.” She loved teaching—it was her passion and calling—and her hundreds of students. She prayed the rosary daily and enjoyed music and singing in the church choir. She was a founding member of the Oakwood Travelers and enjoyed camping and campfires. She decorated her Oakwood home for every holiday season and enjoyed feeding and watching the birds in her backyard. She attended many sporting events, concerts, and theater programs throughout the area. She created and sent greeting cards regularly to friends and family; she loved being the Tooth Fairy to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and sent them birthday cards with lots of specially selected stickers on the envelopes. She saved stamps for veterans, and cut out and mailed many newspaper articles to those she thought would be interested in them. She enjoyed a good cup of coffee, doughnuts, and ice cream. She lived her life for her family.
Patty is survived by her children: Alan (Christl) Durand, Hoople, ND; Barb (Jeff) Hilde, Moorhead, MN; Carla Durand, St. Cloud, MN; Dale (Devan) Durand, Fort Collins, CO; her grandchildren: Danielle and Brendan Durand, Samantha and Spencer Hilde, Dean Demarais, Jr., Malarie DeLong, Alexandra Gardner, Michaela Demarais, Blair, Noah and Chase Durand and several great grandchildren; siblings: Elaine Collette, Germaine Collins, Eugene Kliniske, Diane Johnson, Barbara Stromvall, Mary Dietrich, Denise Vollrath, Michael Kliniske, Jacqueline Brusseau, Arthur Kliniske, David Kliniske, Bradley Kliniske, and Kristi Hurst; sister-in-law, Shirley Durand and brother-in-law, Lloyd Durand, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Melvin, parents, Joseph and Lillian Kliniske, and her in-laws, Wilfred and Arbella Durand.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Grafton, ND. Visitation will be Monday from 5-7:00 P.M. with a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. at the Tollefson Funeral Home of Grafton. Friends may call at the church on Tuesday for one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will be at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Oakwood, ND.
Cecilia M. “Patty” Kliniske was born May 1, 1939, in Pembina County, ND, the second daughter of 14 children to the late Joseph and Lillian (Pearson) Kliniske. She graduated from Grafton High School in 1957. Patty received her teaching certification from State Teachers College in Mayville in 1958 and later received her B.S. in Education from Mayville State College in 1976. She taught in all Grafton Public Schools but spent most of her years teaching 1st grade at Chase Elementary School.
Patty was united in marriage to Melvin Durand on June 27, 1960, in St. Thomas, ND. The couple made their home in Grafton until moving to Oakwood where they built their home in 1970. After Melvin passed away on January 11, 2006, Patty continued to make her home in Oakwood until moving to Grafton in August of 2020.
She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Oakwood, ND and St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Grafton, ND. She also belonged to the Oakwood Homemakers, Oakwood Altar Society, and was the co-founder of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner for widows and widowers. Patty loved growing up on the farm and traveling with the “Kliniske Aunt Colony.” She loved teaching—it was her passion and calling—and her hundreds of students. She prayed the rosary daily and enjoyed music and singing in the church choir. She was a founding member of the Oakwood Travelers and enjoyed camping and campfires. She decorated her Oakwood home for every holiday season and enjoyed feeding and watching the birds in her backyard. She attended many sporting events, concerts, and theater programs throughout the area. She created and sent greeting cards regularly to friends and family; she loved being the Tooth Fairy to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and sent them birthday cards with lots of specially selected stickers on the envelopes. She saved stamps for veterans, and cut out and mailed many newspaper articles to those she thought would be interested in them. She enjoyed a good cup of coffee, doughnuts, and ice cream. She lived her life for her family.
Patty is survived by her children: Alan (Christl) Durand, Hoople, ND; Barb (Jeff) Hilde, Moorhead, MN; Carla Durand, St. Cloud, MN; Dale (Devan) Durand, Fort Collins, CO; her grandchildren: Danielle and Brendan Durand, Samantha and Spencer Hilde, Dean Demarais, Jr., Malarie DeLong, Alexandra Gardner, Michaela Demarais, Blair, Noah and Chase Durand and several great grandchildren; siblings: Elaine Collette, Germaine Collins, Eugene Kliniske, Diane Johnson, Barbara Stromvall, Mary Dietrich, Denise Vollrath, Michael Kliniske, Jacqueline Brusseau, Arthur Kliniske, David Kliniske, Bradley Kliniske, and Kristi Hurst; sister-in-law, Shirley Durand and brother-in-law, Lloyd Durand, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Melvin, parents, Joseph and Lillian Kliniske, and her in-laws, Wilfred and Arbella Durand.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Grafton, ND. Visitation will be Monday from 5-7:00 P.M. with a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. at the Tollefson Funeral Home of Grafton. Friends may call at the church on Tuesday for one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will be at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Oakwood, ND.