Esther M. Venske, age 76, of Petersburg, ND, died Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at Valley Eldercare in Grand Forks, ND.

Esther Mae Eide was born November 1, 1935 near Clifford, ND, the daughter of Elmer and Olga (Kville) Eide. She was raised on the farm and attended a one room country school in the area. Esther married Norver “Zeke” Venske on July 3, 1954 at Clifford, ND. They lived near East Grand Forks on the George Krejci farm. In 1962 they moved to the Niagara area and lived on the Roscoe Kelly farm. The family moved into Petersburg in 1969. Esther was active in the Petersburg Lutheran Church , serving as a Deacon and with the ALCW. She was also involved with the Petersburg Civic Club and the Park Board, as she enjoyed mowing the park. Throughout her life, Esther cleaned houses and did a lot of babysitting. She enjoyed quilting, embroidery, and gardening. Norver died May 10, 2006. Esther continued living at home in Petersburg until moving to Valley Eldercare last September.

Esther is survived by 2 sons, George Venske of Petersburg and Dean (Carla) Venske of Northwood; 1 daughter, Rose Marie (Kent) Woodward of South Thomaston, ME; 5 grandchildren, Erin (Curtis) Crawford of Peoria, AZ, Tyler (Steph) Venske of Northwood, David (Tilly) Woodward of South Thomaston, ME, Heather (Matt) Nichols of Bangor, ME, and Derrick (Nikole) Woodward of Rockland, ME; 5 great-grandchildren, Aiden, Rhiannon, and Auto Woodward, Evan Crawford, and Derrick Woodward Jr.; 4 sisters, Linda Hart (Al Jordan) of Larimore, ND, Anna Marie (Dick) Bradsteen of Grand Forks, Dagny (Eddie) Ponce of Miami, FL, and Gloria (Jim) Osland of Edgewood, FL; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; 4 brothers, George, Olaf, Alvon, and David; and a sister, Ruth Wilcox.

Esther's Funeral Service will be held at the Petersburg Lutheran Church on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Officiating will be the Reverend Gary Knabe. The organist will be Marlys Hoverson and the soloist will be Mary Ralston. Interment will be in the spring at the Petersburg Cemetery. The casketbearers will be Jerry Meyer, Rodney Meyer, Jim Reiten, Art Johnson, Mark Landeis, and Steve Ralston. The honorary bearers will be Esther's grandchildren. Visitation will be held at the Aaker Funeral Home of Lakota on Friday, beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue at the church on Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service.