Madeline "Maddy" Clarys

Funeral Mass for Madeline "Maddy" Clarys, 88,  of Dickinson will be 10:00 a.m., Friday, June 2, 2023 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Dickinson with Father Bill Ruelle celebrating. Burial will follow at St. Patrick's Cemetery.

Visitation for Maddy will be from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., Thursday, June 1, 2023 at Stevenson Funeral Home with a rosary and vigil being held at 6:00 p.m.

Maddy passed away Sunday, May 28, 2023 at St. Benedicts Health in Dickinson.

Madeline was born October 27, 1934 in Grandma Palmer’s family farm house near Kensal, ND, the daughter of John and Bernice (Palmer) Hockert. Growing up she attended Dover Township School in Eastern ND, and graduated from the eighth grade at New Rockford’s St. James Academy.  She graduated from Courtenay High School in 1953.  Maddy met James Clarys when she was sixteen, and they knew right away it was true love. While on their first date, the couple promised to marry each other, and later married on June 25, 1953 in Courtenay, ND.  They made their home on the Clarys family farm near Dickinson and eventually established their own farm on the east side of the river.  Together, they raised their two daughters and five sons on the farm.  Maddy was a dedicated and loving farmwife, mother, musician, and sports enthusiast. She enjoyed cooking, baking, tending to her vegetable and flower gardens, fishing, playing cards, square dancing with Jim, and visiting with people. Community service was also important to Maddy, and she served on the South Heart School Board while her children were in school, and was a leader with the Southern Stars 4-H club. Maddy was especially proud that her family was selected as the Knights of Columbus Family of The Year in 1984.   She loved music and extended that gift to her children and shared her talent with many over the years. She was a lifelong member of St. Patrick’s church, where she sang with the choir, was the organist, and was a member of the Catholic Daughters.  Maddy worked as the Music Therapist at St. Benedict’s Health for almost ten years and played music on a lifelong voluntary basis for Mass at St. Ben’s, Funerals, Happy Sing-Along Group, and VFW. In 2007, Maddy and Jim retired from the farm and moved into Dickinson, where she joined the Catholic Community Quilters and continued to enjoy her other hobbies. During her time as a resident of St. Benedicts she continued her community service by playing for their masses and serving as a President on the Resident Council.  Maddy will be dearly missed and forever loved.

Maddy is survived by her husband, James; daughters, Jacqueline (Daniel) Hopkins of Catonsville, MD and Jane (Mick) Myers of Dickinson; sons, Daniel (Peggy) of Mandan, Mathew (Christie) of Hazen, Howard (Maria) of Circle Pines, MN, Paul (Susan) of Dickinson, Cory (Mary) Omaha, NE; 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; sisters, Delores Fletcher of Buffalo, MN, Barbara Hockert of Phoenix, AZ, Monica (John) Backer of Courtenay, Joan Rudy of Fargo; brother, Douglas (Marilyn) Hockert of Wahpeton.

She is preceded in death by her parents, John and Bernice Hockert; sisters, Mary Ketterling, Jan Caron