Heather Aileen Beiswenger, 50, of Grand Forks, ND, and a Fisher, MN native, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes at her residence Thursday, July 7th, 2022.
Heather was born on May 23, 1972, to Roger and Carol (Hegge) Beiswenger of Fisher, MN. She was the 2nd out of the 5 “Beiswenger Girls”. Her childhood was spent riding horses bareback through wheat fields near her family’s farm, exploring shelter belts for unique-looking trees and treasures, skiing and knee-boarding on Maple Lake, bailing hay along Hwy 2, ballet lessons and piano recitals, cheerleading, and track through Fisher High School, and traveling the 50 states in the winter with her family. She developed her love of the arts at Concordia College in Nebraska and started her career as a photographer in Seward, NE. She moved back to Minnesota in 2001 and eventually opened Firelite Studio Photography in Grand Forks, ND.
For the past 10-15 years Heather struggled with mental illness and alcoholism. Throughout, she received excellent psychiatric and medical care from area providers but in the end, her body could no longer stand up to the rigors of the disease. Though Heather’s story is not one that includes suicide her family wants everyone to know how important it is to be sure that a loved one who is showing signs of susceptibility to any of these conditions gets the help they need.
Heather is survived by her daughter, Avah Beiswenger of Fargo, ND, and son, Noah Wagner of Fisher, MN; parents, Roger and Carol Beiswenger of Fisher; 4 sisters: Dionne, Jolene, Annie and Megan; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Walter and Harriet (Christiansen) Beiswenger and Orris and Alice (Thompson) Hegge.
A graveside memorial service for Heather will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, July 14, 2022, at Greenwood Cemetery, Fisher, MN, with Pastor Douglas S. Thompson, officiating. Visitation with the family will be from 9:30 a.m. until the service time. The funeral will be live-streamed by going to Heather’s obituary page at www.stenshoelhouske.com and clicking on the prompt to view. Plan on bringing a lawn chair, umbrella, and sunglasses for your comfort.
Messages of condolence may also be conveyed to the family at www.stenshoelhouske.com
In lieu of flowers, Heather’s family requests memorials be given to them to be directed to organizations that can best help in this ongoing battle.
Minnesota and North Dakota share a Mental Health Crisis Hotline 1-866-903-3787 and a Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255
