Ardella M Nolting

Ardella M. Nolting was born on the 23rd day of September in 1926, the oldest child of Albert J. and Katharine Koester Miesner.  She was baptized into the Lutheran faith on October 10, 1926 and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Stover on March 17, 1940 and remained a lifelong, faithful member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

She and her brother Merwin grew up on the family farm southwest of Stover.  She graduated from Stover High School and soon went to work at Stover Mercantile Company, which later became Alwin’s Department located in downtown Stover.

A family story goes that her uncles attended an auction for a young man who was selling his cattle prior to serving in the Army during the Korean War.  Ardella was truly touched by the sacrifice he made; little did she know that she would later meet that young man in person and that meeting would lead to wedding bells.  On August 19, 1956, Ardella was united in marriage to Milferd C. Nolting and for the next 51 years they worked side by side in their store and on their farm until his death on August 21, 2007.

In 1958, Ardella and Milferd decided to purchase the department store where she had continued to work and rename it Nolting’s Department Store, which remained a fixture in Stover until they retired in 2004. She and Milferd also owned and operated Rockin N Ranch and there were not very many days that you didn’t find the two of them checking cattle, with Ardella working the gates or just sitting in the truck watching Milferd work on the farm.

Through the years they raised two boys and welcomed grandchildren into the family; which truly was the highlight of her life.

Her competitive spirit would lead to a game of Aggravation with her grandsons or a regular Monday card game of PItch with her lady friends.  She looked forward to spur of the moment trips and was always ready to head to the lake and enjoy a peaceful day at the family cabin or sit on the dock and fish.

Ardella, as a child of the Depression, found appreciation in the small things such as family gatherings, car rides with friends and most recently looking at the Christmas lights with her kids; it was the little things in life that made her happy.

It was on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at the Golden Age Living Center in Stover, where she had resided for the past week that Ardella received the promise of eternal life given to her at her baptism.  The confirmation verse from Psalms 37:4 that she had chosen so many years ago reflected her life perfectly…” Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

Ardella’s legacy will continue with her two sons, Wayne Nolting and wife Cheryl of Stover and Brian Nolting and companion Rita Emmerich of Versailles; three grandsons, Trent Nolting, Brock Nolting and Chad Nolting, her bonus family, Sarah and Brian Bauer and their children Alex and Adrianna and Tyler Emmerich; along with nephews, nieces, other relatives and friends.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Merwin Miesner and a nephew.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Saturday, January 16 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Stover.  Funeral services will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday with Pastor Gerald Kurka officiating.

Burial will be in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in Stover.

Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery or St. Paul's Lutheran Church.

Social distancing will be observed.

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