Dianne Lageson, 58, of Harvey, ND died Thursday, September 28, 2017 at her home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, October 2, at First Lutheran Church, Harvey, ND.

Visitation will be Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hertz Funeral Home, Harvey.

Burial will be in Sunnyside Cemetery, Harvey, ND.

Dianne was born on March 27, 1959 in Harvey, ND. She was the daughter of Floyd and Janice (Zettler) Keller.  She grew up in Harvey and graduated from the Harvey High School in 1977.  It was during high school in 1976 she began working as typesetter for the Harvey Herald now known as the Herald Press.  She also worked in add composition. Other items she helped with were auction bills, horse racing programs, business forms, wedding programs, raffle tickets, drink tickets and even a few books including the book of 'Prominent People' By June Prom, 'Growing with Pride', a Harvey history book in 1981, and a Maddock history book.  In 2004 she started working fulltime at the St. Aloisius Medical Center as a receptionist.  She continued to work both jobs.  She also worked at the Farmers Union Coop in Harvey for a brief period.

Dianne enjoyed working and always wanted to type.  She was not only extremely fast but accurate at typing. She was always willing to help out a coworker by working an extra shift or until the project was completed.  Her hobbies included collecting Avon Dishes and Home Interior figurines.  She crocheted afghans and spent hours reading, playing cards and watching soap operas.  Family time was precious to her, from spending time as a child with her umpire Dad at the local ballpark to spending time with her kids and grandkids.

Dianne was a member of the First Lutheran Church and served on the church council there.

Dianne is survived by her husband, James of Harvey; son, Jim (Lisa) Lageson of Mandan; daughter, Lesa (John) Morrison of Harvey; two grandchildren, William and Hailee; mother, Janice Keller of Harvey; brother, Floyd "Butch" (Deb) Keller of Harvey; sisters, Sandy (Pete) Kraft of St. Cloud, MN, Joyce (Myron) Jans of Hallock, MN, Mary (Jim) Skadsem of Devils Lake; Penny (Rich) Ditmars of Minot; nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, Floyd.

Online condolences may be shared at www.hertzfuneralhomes.com

Arrangements with Hertz Funeral Home, Harvey, ND

Reprinted from the Herald Press Article in October 2016

Dianne Lageson

When Dianne started in 1976, it was called the Harvey Herald but is now known as The Herald Press. She has seen quite a few changes and has enjoyed her work throughout her four decades with the paper. When she was younger, she always wanted to type on her mother's old manual typewriter but was told she couldn't do so until she took a typing class. In high school, she took business classes, but due to scheduling couldn't get into typing class until her junior year. She found her passion at the typewriter - she truly loved typing. She helped with the Harvey High School paper, The Hornets Buzz. This was her first experience at the Herald office when she, Vickie Theige, and Hughie Farrington would go there and type the paper using the punch tape typewriter. With the encouragement of her high school business teacher and the chance meeting on the street with Harvey Herald Publisher Finney Farrington, Lageson became a part-time typesetter for the paper in her senior year. Typing on the punch tape typewriter was interesting. Paper was fed from a roll on top and as she typed, holes formed in the paper. A person couldn't really see what they were typing until the paper was put through a reader which put letters on a photographic film, which was developed in a liquid in a portable darkroom and dried. Only then could it be proofread. After corrections were made, it was run through a machine that put a wax coating on the back so that it could be pasted on layout sheets. When everything was placed on the page, it was rolled with handheld rollers and then was ready to take to the printing Forty years doing what she enjoys plant at Rugby. Eventually, a large computer was purchased with a small viewing screen where you could read one line at a time as you typed. More modernization followed with a Compugraphic typewriter which was a huge machine with disks with a variety of typing fonts and sizes. Lageson remembers when computers were brought in about 30 years ago. There were many computer updates as the years went by. She said, "The computers save a lot of time and we were able to get rid of the film, darkrooms and developing chemicals." When Lageson began, she and Betty Gunderson were part-time typesetters and Marge Grosz was full time. Dianne worked parttime for 1½ years before becoming a full-time employee. Lageson also helped with ad composition and still does. Other items she helped with were auction bills, horse racing programs, business forms, wedding programs, raffle tickets, drink tickets and even a few books. She recalls helping Isabelle Ripplinger type and design a family reunion book. She and June Prom worked many hours on the book of 'Prominent People.' She said that book was "June's and my baby.  It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun." Growing with Pride, a Harvey history book in 1981, and a Maddock history book have been some projects she has been a part of, as well. During the 40 years, Lageson has worked for just a few publishers: Finney Farrington, Hugh Farrington, Charles Eldredge, and Anne Ehni. There have been a number of editors and according to her, "Some have been real characters." She said, "When I started, Peg Bell was here and took me under her wing." Through all the changes in personnel, Bell was the constant until her retirement a few years ago. Besides working at The Herald Press, Lageson also works 40 hours each week at St. Aloisius Medical Center as a receptionist. According to her, "These jobs are so different. At the hospital I see everyone and talk to everybody. At the Herald I'm in my own area by myself - just me and my computer. Sometimes you need that." Between her two jobs, Lageson has found time for a personal life in the last 40 years. She has been married to Jim for 35 years and they have two grown children, Jimmy and Lesa. She is also proud grandmother of Will and Hailee and takes much enjoyment in them. Through the years, Lageson has worked as a waitress, janitor's aide, Avon and Tupperware salesperson, receptionist and typesetter. Typing for the paper has always been a great joy. She said, "When I started working in the Herald Office, I thought, 'I could grow old working here'… and I have!" She feels that if you have a job you love, working at it for 40 years is the natural thing to do. However, when Herald-Press Editor Janine Schmitz suggested maybe she could put in another 40 years, Lageson wasn't too sure about that idea. But for now, she is content to 'keep on keeping on' with a passion for the job and a bright attitude for the future.