Corlie Elvira (Leach) Rohr

Corlie Rohr, 96, passed away Monday, January 27 while under loving hospice care at Raleigh Hills Assisted Living & Memory Care.

The eldest of four children, she was born to Mabel (Baker) and Claud Leach in Halliday, ND. She was quite proud to be born a town girl, at her grandma’s hotel, rather than on the farm. Corlie spent her early years living a simple life on the prairie, similar to her cousin Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was a daddy’s girl who adored her younger siblings Clark, Mary, and Sharon. She graduated high school from Halliday and attended college for a year, earning her teacher’s certificate.

Corlie’s life changed the day she went to meet her friend’s cousin - a handsome young man playing accordion on the radio in Dickinson, ND. From then on, her life was filled with music and dances. A few short months later, Corlie married Ralph Rohr on January 4, 1949 during a huge blizzard. They spent their “honeymoon” stranded in a small farmhouse for three days overloaded with many of their relatives due to the snowstorm.

Despite that, her life as a devoted mother started 9 months later with the birth of their first child, Jacquelyn Helen. Joseph Perry and Mark Anthony soon followed. After the first batch of 3 kids, Michelle Maria came along 14 years later as a surprise to round out the family.

“Married too fast with too many kids too soon, it will never last”. Ralph and Corlie proved them wrong as they were married 68 years at the time of Ralph’s death in 2017.

Corlie was a small woman but she was strong and a hard worker. She had many occupations – candy-striper, farmer, teacher in a country school, record store manager, telephone operator, Meals on Wheels cook, school cafeteria cook, and property manager.

She shared Ralph’s passions of music, dancing, family, cross country car travel, and fast sporty cars. Together they made many friends across the country as they lived in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon.

Corlie also had her own interests. She was always reading, with a huge stack of books from the library in her arms every week. She loved tending her flowers and delighted in their blooms. She was a calm, gentle woman who didn’t complain when things were tough and chose to find something good in every day. She had a feisty side, known to stamp her foot at times as a child, and to hold a quiet grudge if you crossed her or her kids. You couldn’t fool her twice. She loved visitors and visits, short ones preferably, as she was an introvert. Her greatest joys were her grandchildren (including great and great-greats) and treasured each one individually. She wanted all her family to be sure to “Really Live!!” our lives and to dance and go out and have experiences.

She was a sweet person from a little girl to woman to an elderly lady. She resided at Raleigh Hills the last six years where she loved to people watch, go for car rides, color, and to get snacks from the front desk. She loved the staff and caregivers tremendously and we can’t thank them enough for their excellent care and for loving our sweet little mom so much the last years of her life.

Corlie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ralph Rohr; her cherished son Mark Rohr, and her parents and adored sister, Mary (Leach) Anderson. She is survived by her daughter, Jackie Dahlquist, and her husband, Ron, of New Underwood, SD; her son, Joe Rohr and his wife, Kathy, of Casper, WY; her daughter-in-law, Mary Rohr of Vancouver, WA; and her daughter, Michelle Vondenkamp and her husband, Jim Vondenkamp, of Beaverton, OR. Five grandchildren – Tom Rohr and his wife, Renee, Heather Gray, Shane Dahlquist and his partner Becky Dingus, Jack Vondenkamp and Claire Vondenkamp. Three great-grandchildren – Taylor Rohr, Madisen Rohr, and Shad Dahlquist and his wife, Nikki. Three great-great grandchildren – Hudson Dahlquist, Marleah Dahlquist, and Owen Dahlquist. One brother, Clark Leach and his wife Bonnie; her baby sister Sharon Austin; as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.    

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