Eleanore Marie Tofte

Eleanore Marie Tofte, 90, of Devils Lake, ND (formerly of Churchs Ferry, ND) passed away Sunday, August 24, 2025 at the Eventide Heartland Care Center in Devils Lake.   Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 AM Friday, September 5, 2025 at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Knox with Fr. Gaspar Vanathaiyan celebrating.  Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM with Rosary beginning at 10:15 AM at the church.   Burial will take place at the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery: 4191 67th St. NE Rugby, ND 58368.

Eleanore Marie (Thomas) Tofte was born on August 31, 1934, to George and Rose (Meier) Thomas of Knox, ND. She grew up in the Knox area along with her two sisters Elizabeth (Betty) and Catherine (Babe). She was valedictorian of her senior class graduating in1951. She was united in marriage to Clarence Raymond Tofte of Rugby, ND, on April 9, 1953, and to this union welcomed four children, Delton, Connie, Vanda and Dale. They raised their family on the Studness Farm in the rural Churchs Ferry area.

Eleanore enjoyed going dancing on Saturday evenings as well as dancing in her kitchen. She loved planting flowers, vegetable gardening, and canning. She also adored roosters and received much rooster decor as gifts over the years. Her neatness and cleanliness led her to start cleaning for various home owners and office buildings in the Devils Lake area after her children were grown. After Clarence retired, they moved to Devils Lake. There she kept her house cleaning jobs in addition to cleaning apartment buildings and working for Environmental Services at Mercy Hospital. She worked at the hospital for 18 years before retiring in 2011 at the age of 77. Sadly, dementia became a part of her life as well as a contributing factor in her passing.

Eleanore is survived by her children Delton (Becky) Tofte of Wolford, ND; Connie Tofte of Devils Lake, ND; Vanda (Nicholas) Anderson of Big Lake, MN; and Dale Tofte (Bonnie Rader) of Devils Lake, ND; her grandchildren Lee Ann Knoll (Jay Schauer) of Lincoln, ND; LaRae Selfridge of Minot, ND; Cody (Nicole) Tofte of Minot, ND; Kelsey (Levi) Flick of Tooele, UT; Sierra (Levi) Esterly of Rugby, ND; Brandon (Brooke) Tofte of Grand Forks, ND; Shaelynn Tofte of Wimbledon, ND; Benjamin Anderson of Plymouth, MN; Johnathan Anderson (Carrie Lovan) of Sioux Falls, SD; and Christina Anderson of Big Lake, MN as well as 14 great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

She was preceded in death by her parents George and Rose Thomas, her in laws Leslie and Ella Welch, her spouse Clarence, her sisters and brothers-in-law Elizabeth and Lawerance Larson and Catherine and Maynard Stensby, her grandson Dillon Tofte and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.