Isabel Yvonne Hartje

Isabel Yvonne Hartje, formerly of Hensel, ND, passed away peacefully at the age of 100 on December 13, 2024, in Rapid City, SD. A service celebrating Isabel’s life will be held on Monday, July 21, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Brigid of Ireland Catholic Church in Cavalier, ND, with interment following at St. Brigid’s Cemetery.

Born on September 6, 1924, to Eugene and Alma Longtin, Isabel grew up on the family farm in Leroy, ND. She graduated from high school in Walhalla and briefly taught in a country school before contributing to the World War II effort as a Rosie the Riveter in Minneapolis.

On November 29, 1945, Isabel married Irwin Hartje in Leroy. They made their home in Hensel, ND, where they raised six children, operated a general store, and where Irwin served as postmaster. In retirement, they moved to Cottonwood, AZ, in 1988 and later to Rapid City, SD, in 2001. For the past six years, Isabel was a resident of Peaceful Pines Senior Living in Rapid City.

Isabel enjoyed a wide array of crafts including knitting and crocheting, loved playing cards, and cherished spending time with her family—especially her grandchildren as they grew. She was a member of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Rapid City.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 60 years Irwin; her brothers Alvah and Dwight; and her sister Evelyn. Grateful for having shared her life include her six children: Danne (Zelda) of Cavalier; Marcia (Doug) Hall of Mesa, AZ; Robert (Mary) of Rapid City, ND; Tracy (Mark) Seitz of Jamestown, ND; John (Lynn) of Sheridan, WY; and Roxan Kautz of Gilbert, AZ.

She is also survived by fifteen grandchildren, twenty-eight great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren. Isabel's legacy of love, warmth, and resilience will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.