Agnes Ryba Soto

Agnes Ryba Soto passed away March 22, 2021 at the age of 94.  She was born in Lankin, North Dakota on April 16, 1926 on a farm to James and Mary (Polak) Ryba.  She was the second of four children.

She enjoyed comparing her life to the country roads in North Dakota; in the beginning and now those same country roads are taking her to rest in Kosobud Cemetery.

Her country grade school was modern.  There was no kindergarten so she started first grade when only five years and eight months old.  High school was very active and enjoyable and she thrived.  She was on the basketball team, a cheerleader, and editor in chief of the high school newspaper.

After high school, she attended Mayville State Teachers College where she earned a teaching degree and met Frank Restadius.  She was so proud to be dating the star basketball player.  They married shortly after graduation.  She taught in Fargo before the marriage but Fargo did not allow married women to teach, so they moved to Minnesota and eventually California.  She lived and raised her children in Buena Park, California and after retirement moved to Mission Viejo, California.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Los Angeles.  She continued her education at Pepperdine University with a Master of Science in Special Education with an emphasis in Reading.  She was a writer and wrote many children’s three act plays, one of them “Trouble in Mother Goose Land” is copyrighted.  She wrote a pamphlet on Teaching Art in the First Three Grades.  The school district was impressed with her detail and purchased it from her to use district wide as a teaching tool.  She ended her teaching career as a Reading Specialist for Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District.

Her family and friends remember her as a great story and joke teller.  She always had a smile and a willingness to help.  She loved to travel, visiting Hawaii, Canada, Alaska, Mexico, England, Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.

She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Mary Ryba; sister, Alice and Carl Larson; brother, James and JoAnn Ryba.  She is survived by her brother and his wife, Charles and Norma Ryba; son, Ralph Restadius and his wife, Lori; daughter, Michelle Mitzel and her husband, John.  Four grandchildren, Ashlee (Rich), Connor (Kristine), John, and Rob.  Many nephews and nieces.  All of these she loved deeply.

The Funeral Service for Agnes will be held at the Aaker Funeral Home of Lakota, ND, on Friday, April 2, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.  Following the service she will be laid to rest at the WFL-Kosobud Cemetery, rural Lankin, ND.  Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a time of sharing at 7:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the WFL-Kosobud Cemetery.  Memorials may be mailed in care of the treasurer at 15887 - 57th Street NE, Oslo, MN 56744.

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