Doris Langseth
| Date of Interment or Death | 10/22/2026 |
|---|---|
| Location | Old Fairview |
| Section | A |
| Block-Lot-Grave | 8-4-6 |
Obituary
Doris Langseth Jan 12, 1924 — Oct 16, 2026 Fergus Falls Doris Langseth, 102, Battle Lake, Minnesota, passed away Friday, October 16, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Home in Battle Lake. Her funeral service will be 11 am on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at Maine Presbyterian Church in Underwood, Minnesota. There will be a visitation on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 5-7pm, at Glende Nilson Funeral Home in Battle Lake. Burial will take place at Fairview Cemetery in Wahpeton, North Dakota.
Born on January 12, 1924 to the late Aslaug Rollag Evenson and Helmer E. Evenson of Mooreton, North Dakota, Doris attended the State College of Science in Wahpeton and the University of Missouri at Columbia, from which she received a Bachelor of Science in Education, focusing on home economics and science. Prior to attending the University, Doris worked in a wartime cable manufacturing plant in St. Louis.
After graduation in 1946 Doris accepted a position as an extension agent in Walsh County, North Dakota, starting in April. She was stationed in Park City, ND, and by chance a young highway engineer named Russell Langseth, who had grown up about 15 miles west of Doris’ family’s farm, was on special assignment in Park City. He was quite taken with her, and they started dating in the fall of 1949.
Doris resigned her extension agent position in the fall of 1950 and moved to Minneapolis to be with her sister Lorraine, both planning to attend the University of Minnesota. Lorraine’s brain tumor revived, however, and neither ended up attending school there. Lorraine took a position as a medical technician supporting doctors working on brain tumors and Doris became an independent home economics consultant, doing product demonstrations for the electric and gas utilities.
Doris maintained a long distance relationship with Russ while in Minneapolis and the two of them were married on November 24, 1951. The marriage was blessed with two sons, David and James. They initially lived in Bismarck, North Dakota, where David was born, and then moved to the Kansas City area, where James was born, and then moved to the Minneapolis area, living first in Fridley and then in Bloomington.
After her marriage Doris devoted herself to family, community, and faith. They were generous hosts for numerous gatherings of friends and family. Doris was deeply involved in the Sunday School at each church they joined. At Hope Presbyterian Church in the Minneapolis area Doris was the lay director of the Christian education program and directed the vacation bible school. She was also an elder of the congregation.
Doris and Russ were active in the American Field Service foreign student exchange program, hosting first a Norwegian then a Swiss high-school student in successive years. They enjoyed it so much, they then hosted a Norwegian relative’s high-schooler for another year. When their college son offered a chance to befriend a student from Iran, they welcomed him and his brothers who followed. Doris and Russ also provided support to other immigrant families, helping them get settled in the US.
She and Russ built their retirement home on West Battle Lake in Otter Tail County MN, the lake where Doris’ parents had a cabin, and where they had vacationed in summers. They loved living at the lake, and were delighted that 3 more of their siblings and a niece also built houses on that lake. They loved having gatherings at the lake - whether just the local friends and relatives and their growing families or full-scale Langseth or Evenson family reunions. She and Russ helped found and staff the Battle Lake Food Shelf. Doris and Russ enjoyed square dancing, an activity they pursued both at home and abroad during their many travels. Their travels included maintaining connections with their relatives in Norway, and they also hosted Norwegian visitors to the US.
Doris is preceded in death by her husband Russell Langseth, her parents, and her three sisters, Adeline (Ralph), Irene (Jack), and Lorraine. She is survived by her two sons Dr. David (Laura) and James (Thea) Langseth; three grandchildren Christopher, Julianna (Matthew), and Dr. Abraham (Varnee); three great-grandchildren Avery, Cooper, and Nilani; her sister-in-law Ila (Richard) Osman and special long-time friends Nader Sheikhi and Tressie Bloomquist.
Arrangements made by Glende Nilson Funeral Home and Cremation Fergus Falls.
Location
Old Fairview is located on the southern half of the cemetery grounds.