Lucille Kjos of Thief River Falls, MN, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at St. Catherine’s Living Center in Wahpeton, ND, at the age of 86, with her daughter Kris at her side.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, June 14, 2024 at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Thief River Falls, MN, with Father Rick Lambert presiding. Burial will follow at St. Bernard’s Catholic Cemetery in Thief River Falls.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM, with a 6:30 PM Prayer Service on Thursday, June 13, 2024 at Obit in Thief River Falls, MN. Visitation will also take place one hour prior to Mass on Friday at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church.
Lucille Irene (Sabol) Kjos was born on November 10th, 1937 in Thief River Falls, MN to Michael and Mary Sabol. She was the 12th of 14 children and raised on a self-sustaining family farm west of Warren, MN. During her childhood, she and her many of the younger siblings had adventures on the farm after the chores were done. She was very close to all of her brothers and sisters. During her Teens, she babysat several of her nephews and nieces. Lucille enjoyed sharing those childhood stories with her own family.
Lucille graduated from Warren High School in 1956. After graduating, she obtained a position at Dow Key Corp in Warren. One day, watching the road construction crew working on one of the streets in Warren, she seen one of the crewmen working. They waved to each other. Lucille said to herself “I will be marrying that man one day”, and went away without asking who he was. That man was Herman (Sonny) Kjos. In 1958, Dow Key Corp moved to Thief River Falls. Lucille followed with a move to Thief River Falls. It was in Thief River Falls that she officially met her future husband, Herman C. (Sonny) Kjos in the Winter of 1958 at a high school hockey game. They were married on August 15, 1959 at St Peters and Paul Catholic Church in Warren. To this union four children were born. A son Brian, and three daughters Kathleen, Kristine, and Paula.
During the first few years of Lucille and Sonny marriage, they had several residences in Thief River Falls, Crookston, East Helena MT, and Thief River Falls again. They finally settled in the Thief River Falls area by building their own home on their farm west of Thief River Falls in 1974.
Besides raising her children, Lucille loved outdoor activities. She learned how to swim and ice skate. Both Lucille and Sonny had the love of making good investments in land. They bought a farm in Warren and sold it for a profit. They also found land in Grygla to farm but instead decided to tell her brothers about good hunting there. This land became the Phantom Road Hunters Club.
Always interested in nursing, Lucille went back to school to obtain her Licensed Practical Nurse degree and graduated in 1973 from the Thief River Area Vocational Technical Institute. After graduation she worked at Oakland Park Nursing Home.
Lucille was an avid gardener, worked with Sonny on their farm planting several hundreds trees, a few acres of garden, and a variety of crops, Lucille loved bird watching with her bird book nearby. Lucille’s gardening efforts gained her several prizes at the Pennington County Fair through the years. Lucille also loved to read and you would find her in her favorite chair reading and watching out the window for her birds to stop by. She was a CCD teacher and taught many children of St. Bernard’s Parish including her own children. She was also a Den Mother for her son’s Cub Scout troop. She loved to travel with her family and visited many states, and National Parks.
In May of 1981, Lucille lost the love of her life, Sonny to cancer. She continued to live on their farm for the next several years until her retirement from Oakland Park Nursing Home and then she sold the farm and moved to town. She loved working with the elderly and put off retirement a few times because she loved her job.
In her later years, Lucille enjoyed visiting her children and grandchildren and attended as many events of theirs as possible. Lucille was an active member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church often volunteering when and where she was needed. She started writing her family history and a publisher found out and wanted her to write more stories. Through Facebook, she was amazed at how large her extended family had become. How often can you say that you are a Triple Great Aunt several times over? She remained independent and she took pride in her home and her garden.
Lucille was preceded in death by her husband, Herman C. (Sonny) Kjos; mother and father, Mary and Michael Sabol; her father-in-law and mother-in-laws, Herman A. (Judge) and Helga Kjos, and Opal Kjos; and her grandson Michael Carl Kjos. Her brothers (sister- in-laws) Michael, Steve (Mildred), George (Agnes), Joseph (Geraldine), John (Betty), Ernest, Elmer (Janet), Thomas, and James Sabol. Her sisters (brother-in-laws) Mary (Walter) trfnews.i234.me, Margaret (Joseph) Bernat, Magdalene Sabol, and Julia Nichols. Her Sister-in-laws Beverly Sandager Reinertson, and Helen Perrodin; and brother-in-law Lee Kjos. Her Nephews Paul, Ronald, Robert, David, and Roddy Sabol. Her nieces Mary Ann Brewster, and Rose Peterson.
Lucille is survived by her son Brian Kjos (Johnsburg IL), Kathleen Kjos (Tampa Bay FL), Kristine (Michael) Albers (Wapheton ND), and Paula Kjos (Thief River Falls MN). Grandchildren Kelsey (Peter) Gora), LeeAnn (Josh) Kjos-Kinney, Samantha Albers, Lynn Kjos, Jessica Coit, Jonathan Albers, and Jacob Albers. Great Grandson Theodore Kinney.
Nephews Daniel, Gerald (Tiny), Ed, Patrick, Jerald, Larry, Charles (Chucky), William (Billy), Scott, Shawn, Wade, Anthony (Tony), and Thomas Sabol; Rodney, and Rodger Bernat; David, Randy, and Russell Nichols; John, and Mark Perrodin; and Karl, and Michael Kjos.
Nieces Georgia Sabol, Karen Wirth, Patricia Liljegren, Shirley Lundgren, Susan Drury, Diane Marquardt, Evonne Mitton, Cindy Melgard, Gwen Nelson, Jill Florek, Lynette Prestage, Jean Malley, Julie Perrodin, Greta Kjos, and Jennifer Joiner.
Lucille was also survived by several Great, Double Great, and Triple Great Nephews and Nieces.
Condolences may be sent at johnsonfuneralservice.com
# Lucille Kjos, #