Elsie Marilyn Gilbertson

Elsie M Gilbertson, 92, formerly of Charlson, North Dakota passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 15, 2025 at her residence in Bismarck, North Dakota. She was born on September 28, 1933 to August and Louise Keller at their family farm a few miles north of Beulah, ND in Mercer County.

Elsie's education began in a one room rural elementary school that consisted of grades 1-8. After the 8th grade she went to a town school in Beulah that she didn't favor and dropped out for a while before returning back to elementary school for another year, and then moved onto Beulah High School. There she decided that school was not so bad, earned her diploma, and enrolled in college at what was then known as The North Dakota Agricultural School-better known now as NDSU, where she earned her bachelor's degree in home economics.

She then began a career in teaching high school in New Salem, ND, where she taught students the finer aspects of home economics. She taught in New Salem for several years before expanding her horizons and accepted a position as the home economics teacher in Cordova, Alaska, a small, isolated town that was only accessible by airplane. She taught there only one year and came back to teach at Beulah High School for another several years.

Elsie's next career move after leaving teaching was to move to Williston, ND and becoming a Williams County Home Extension Agent. Soon after this new adventure is when she met Lee Gilbertson and he quickly asked for her hand in marriage. They were married at Zion Lutheran Church in Beulah, ND, and started their new, beautiful life together on a farm near Charlson, ND in McKenzie County. While Lee operated the farm, she enjoyed typical farm wife life helping with the chores, cooking meals, delivering meals to the fields, maintaining the farm yard, and growing flowers that she cherished dearly.

In addition to her farm life, Elsie was an active member of Keene First Lutheran Church where she served in various capacities from music to church council, and was also active and well known throughout the Western Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). Elsie was a very kind, giving, supportive, welcoming, and generous philanthropist. When generosity and kindness was required, she was among the first to respond.

Elsie is survived by her sister Irma, of Bismarck and many cousins, nephews, and nieces. She is preceded in death by her husband, Lee and her parents.