Kathleen Joyce (Connell) Rovang – Dalton, MN
Hallelujah, You’re Home! “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:8). Kathleen Joyce (Connell) Rovang went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Thursday, February 12, 2026. In her brief 90 years, Kathy did the most important thing that anyone can do in their life: She committed her life to the Lord. She now spends eternity with Christ and had made clear that her only wish for us who remain was to share the message of God’s gift to as many people who would listen. Kathy was born in Fergus Falls, MN May 24, 1935 to Thomas and Belvia Connell. Tom and Bell made sure that Kathy was in church and knew the Lord. She grew up in a time in Fergus Falls when there were a lot of kids and corner grocery stores and community was important. She graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 1953. Kathy met Charles Ro-vang of Dalton that summer and after six months of dating at the age of 18, she married Chuck January 9, 1954. They stayed married for life until Chuck went to be with the Lord November 3, 2019. Chuck entered military duty for two years and Kathy ran her own beauty shop while he was gone. When he returned from Germany, they began their lives together in earnest. They raised five kids who were never in need. During the early years, Kathy showed her love for her family as a homemaker, raising a large garden and supporting Chuck with his farm work and the kids as they grew. When the kids got older, she shared her caring nature in her job at the State Hospital in Fergus, where she worked for 20 years until retirement. Supporting the local church was important for both Kathy and Chuck. Kathy was a quiet witness whose actions spoke for her. She was a member of Ladies Aid; a Sunday School teacher and Superintendent, Vacation Bible School teacher; and a participant in many other church activities, notably in the kitchen. She and Chuck supported missions worldwide and many more local ministries. The money that they saved by living a simple life went out to spread God’s Word. Each fall, Kathy would fill the large chest freezer on the porch with as many as 100-150 pies that she had baked in lard crusts, each containing 10-12 apples from her own trees. Kathy was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; both parents, Tom and Bell Connell; granddaughter, Jennifer Rovang; and nephews, Brian, Eric, Peter, Ricardo and Mauro. She is survived by her five children: Paul (Candy) Rovang of Edinboro, PA; Diane (Jimmy) Thurman of Minneapolis, Jane (Tom) Doane on Lake Miltona, MN; Danny (Carrie) Rovang of Fergus Falls, MN and Joel (Tuyet) Rovang of Dalton, MN; two brothers, Stanley (Martha) Connell of Minneapolis and Gary (Kris) Connell of Bayfield, WI; a sister, Linda (Gene) Field of Frazee, MN; 10 grandchildren, Angelle, Ben, Cara, Justin, Deirdre, Vivian, Ariel, Hope, Tuyet Vy and Ben; nieces, Kirsten, Julia, Leslie, Tracy, Ruth and Megan; nephews, Carlos, Thomas, Kirk and Rolf. As good of a person as Kathy was, she could not earn her place in Heaven. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8). Blessed be the memory of Kathy Rovang Please be like Kathy Rovang and accept the free gift of Salvation. Services are at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Zion-Sarpsborg Free Lutheran Church in Dalton with Reverend Mark Johnson and Reverend Dan Hurner officiating. Visitation is one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at Sarpsborg Cemetery in Dalton, MN, Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls is in charge of the arrangements. Condolences may be sent online at www.olsonfuneralhome.com.
