Woman dies just days after celebrating her 112th birthday

FARGO, N.D. (KVLY/Gray News) - A North Dakota community is mourning the loss of a beloved resident this week.

Helene Sandvig died on Tuesday at the age of 112.

She was the second oldest person in North Dakota and just celebrated her birthday last week.

Sandvig grew up in Leonard, North Dakota, where she was a teacher.

She never had any children, but she spent many years with her husband Edwin. He died when she was 80, marking 32 years without him.

During her birthday party last week, Sandvig clutched their wedding photo. She shared at that time that she slept every night next to the photo.

Bethany Retirement Living didn’t immediately say how Sandvig died. But staff said she will be missed, and her funeral arrangements are expected to be shared in the coming days.

They said they remember the days when Sandvig was the biggest chatterbox at the retirement center.

“I was visiting with her last year on her birthday, and she said, ‘I think the car is still in the garage on the farm, I could still drive if I wanted to,’” said Grant Richardson, the retirement center’s community relations director.

And she did drive for quite a while. Sandvig drove until she was 103 when she moved into the retirement home.

Sadly, in the past year, staff members said her hearing was gone and cognitive decline had taken hold.

But Sandvig’s deep faith and great friends kept her going.

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