Agnieszka "Agnes" Oleksik

Agnieszka "Agnes" Oleksik, 42, Minot, passed away the afternoon of Monday, October 13, 2025, surrounded by loved ones at HIA Heather's House in Fargo, ND, after a courageous battle with cancer. Her final days were filled with prayer, friends, celebrations, and spontaneity: the same way she lived her life!
Agnieszka "Agnes" Helena Oleksik was born March 3, 1983, in Tarnow, Poland to Alina and Kazimierz. She immigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother to Williston, North Dakota, at age five. Immensely proud of her Polish heritage, she persistently reminded her siblings that she was one of two children born in the homeland. Agnes was a loving older sister who helped to raise her six younger siblings. Despite growing up in a house where English was the second language, Agnes excelled in all things academic, graduating from Williston High School with top honors.
Agnes was a self-proclaimed "foodie" with a high standard for gourmet food. Family will attest to it not being an easy task for everyone to agree on a pizza order! To pursue her creative cooking ambition, Agnes attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago. Always eager to share her talents and bring joy to others, Agnes frequently commanded the menus during family events and loved to freelance cakes and baked goods for her family, friends, and others for every occasion. Some of her themed cakes depicted castles, dragons, or unicorns, and served the occasions of weddings, birthdays, baby showers, fundraisers, anniversaries, and just because!
Agnes always had adventurous ambitions to travel and see the world, living life to the fullest. She returned to Poland multiple times, visited countless National Parks, claimed many beaches for spontaneous picnics, toured many new cities, and never turned down an opportunity for a trip. She was a rare combination of someone who equally enjoyed being in remote solitude of the wilderness as she did a loud and bustling city.
Agnes was highly confident in herself, enjoyed experiencing new things, and never encountered a hobby she wouldn't try. In her adult years she quickly became an avid runner, having completed 15 half-marathons plus many more 10Ks and 5Ks. Other hobbies she enjoyed diving into were skiing, painting, photography, and playing musical instruments including piano, guitar, and flute. In the past few years, she discovered a passion for flying and was in the last stage of attaining a private pilot's license. Recently, her favorite stories to share were her experiences during more than 10 solo flights.
Agnes found an enormous sense of peace in her lifelong Catholic faith through her trust in God and found comfort in prayer. She was a devoted parishioner at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Minot, North Dakota, while never going too long without a mass at her childhood parish of St. Joseph's in Williston. Agnes was fortunate for a number of years to be able to pair her passion for cooking and faith in the church, serving as a chef for the priests of St. Leo's at their rectory. She built many lifelong and meaningful relationships with the priests and clergy at St. Leo's during this time, and enjoyed the sense of community that it facilitated.
Agnes was fantastic at enjoying the little things in life. She always stopped to smell the roses, both literally and figuratively. She always found time to visit the local zoo in Minot to see her favorite animals, specifically the tigers (and their cubs) and red pandas. She also had a soft spot in her heart for dogs (especially pugs), butterflies, and dragonflies.
Agnes loved, and was well-loved by the people she encountered in life. She passionately gave gifts, and nobody was more thoughtful or more intentional in the way they gave gifts than Agnes.
Above all, the greatest source of joy that Agnes received in her life was her son Joey. From the moment he was born, he became the center of her world. For her, he was the source of strength, unconditional love, and direction in her life. She cherished every moment spent with him, and her love for him was boundless.
Agnes is survived by her son, Joseph "Joey" (Jacqueline); mother, Alina and stepfather Byron Trowbridge; siblings, Mateusz "Matthew", Joanna, Anna, John (Jasmine), Jacob (Karen), and Sarah Oleksik; and nephews, Landon, Blaise, Grant, and Maxwell.
Agnes was preceded in death by her father, Kazimierz Oleksik, grandparents, and three uncles.
Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Minot.
Interment: Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 4:00 pm at Riverview Cemetery, Williston, ND.
Visitation: Friday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Minot.
Vigil Prayer Service: Friday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Minot.
Agnes was a fan of getting dolled up for all occasions. A specific request she had in her final days was encouraging formal wear at the celebration of her life, in appropriate mourning colors.
The service will be livestreamed for the public to view and can be accessed by going to Thompson-Larson Funeral Home's YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/live/eZvru1vlKz8?feature=share