Hensler woman named North Dakota Mother of the Year
By Kathy Tandberg, BHG News Service
Family has always meant everything to Sally Hillstrom. Her family has always known it. Friends know it. Soon everyone in North Dakota will know it. Sally, a 62-year-old Oliver County woman, was recently named North Dakota Mother of the Year for 2010 by American Mothers Inc., North Dakota Association. She will compete in New York City, N.Y., April 30-May 1 for the national title. A woman who believes in family first, Sally comes by this honor with experience as the mother of four and grandmother of nine. She and her husband, Carlyle, raised their children, Mike Hillstrom, Mandan; Mary Ann Rensvold, Polson, Mont.; Melinda Glad, Rogers, Minn.; and Michele Hellman, Mandan, on the family farm south of Hensler. "I feel pretty honored," Sally humbly said about the announcement last week. When asked what has made her a good mother, Sally, one of nine siblings, said being a good mother starts with having one. She also credits her faith and the farm life she and Carlyle created for their children. Married 43 years in June, the couple now enjoys sharing those same ideals with their grandchildren who range in age from 3 months to 17 years.
