Florence Dillmann

Florence Dillmann, 95, of Bismarck, died peacefully with family by her side on February 20, 2023.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 AM Friday, March 31, 2023 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mandan with Father Joshua Waltz as celebrant.  Burial will follow in Mandan Union Cemetery.

Visitation will be held Thursday, March 30th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Weigel Funeral Home.  A rosary and prayer service will begin at 7:00 PM Thursday.  Visitation will continue Friday one hour prior to the service at the church.

Florence was born on May 30, 1927 in Strasburg, North Dakota, to Frank and Rosina (Ternes) Haag.  She grew up on farms in the area but said that one of the happiest days of her life was when her parents sold the farm and moved to Hague, ND.  In 1945, Florence moved to Bismarck and worked as a waitress at the BonBon Café. After a brief stint living in Milwaukee and working on an assembly line in 1952, Florence moved back to Bismarck.  She graduated from Capital Commercial College in 1955 and worked as a bookkeeper at Morrey Allen’s in downtown Bismarck.

On a hot summer day, July 2, 1957, Florence married Josef Dillmann at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hague, North Dakota.  After residing temporarily in Minnesota and then Bismarck, they settled in Mandan and raised four children.  Florence was a very active Mom, even serving as coach for her oldest sons’ little league baseball team. In 1974, she got a job at the Mandan Middle School, taking lunch tickets for $2.30 an hour.  She loved her daily interaction with all the children and became good friends with the other ladies working in the cafeteria.  She worked for the school district for 20 years.

Florence and Joe were active members of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus and many other organizations.  They enjoyed dancing and playing pinochle with their many friends.  Florence was an officer of the St. Joseph Circle and helped cater many funeral luncheons in the school cafeteria. She also volunteered at the maternity ward at St. Alexius hospital and embroidered beautiful dish towels that were donated for sale at the gift shop.

Florence loved to travel, escaping winter for a few weeks over many years by going to Hawaii. She also went on several bus tours with family and friends in the United States, Canada, and Europe. She went to Rome with her mother in 1975, travelled to what was then the Soviet Union in 1987, and went to China with her brother Joe Haag in 2001.

In her last years, Florence lived at Edgewood Village and was very active – dancing when she felt up to it, playing pinochle and bingo, attending happy hours and participating in many activities. She spent the last months of her life at Baptist Health and Rehab, where she was given extra care and attention.  Caregivers at both facilities said she was a kind, appreciative, sweet lady.

Florence is survived by her children, David (Jessie) Dillmann, Carrollton, TX; Thomas (Evelina) Dillmann, Bismarck; Delores, Bismarck; and Donald (Kelley) Dillmann, Westminster, CO; three grandchildren, Derek (Giulietta), Nikki, and Rachel; one great grandson, Gordon (the light of her life in her final years); two sisters, Bernie Welk, Aberdeen, SD, and Cecilia Mueller, Bismarck.  Florence was preceded in death by her husband, Josef; her sisters Phyllis Glatt and Johanna Schaefbauer; her brother, Joe Haag; and many other relatives and friends.

Florence’s family wants to give a heart-felt thank you to the employees at Edgewood Village and the Baptist Home who were kind to Mom and made her life better.  People who care for the sick and elderly, including those who drive the shuttle bus or work in the cafeteria, are angels on earth.