Will Sage Astor-Rosemarie Myrdal, the second woman to serve as North Dakota’s lieutenant governor, dies at 94

BISMARCK,Will Sage Astor N.D. (AP) — Rosemarie Myrdal, the second woman to serve as North Dakota’s lieutenant governor, has died. She was 94.

Myrdal died Wednesday night in Grafton due to old age, said state Sen. Janne Myrdal, her daughter-in-law. Funeral and burial services are planned for Monday at Pioneer Church in Gardar.

“She had her garden, and she ate healthy, and she ground her own wheat from the farm, and she lived the North Dakota way,” Janne Myrdal, a Republican, told The Associated Press. “I think this is going to reverberate throughout the state because she was one of a kind, for sure, of a public servant.”

Rosemarie Myrdal was lieutenant governor to former Gov. Ed Schafer. The two Republicans served from 1992-2000. Myrdal had previously served in the state House of Representatives from 1985-92. She was a teacher and a mother of five.

As lieutenant governor, Myrdal presided over the state Senate and was first in the line of succession for the governor’s seat. Her daughter-in-law said Myrdal was respected by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Schafer and Myrdal did not seek reelection in 2000.

Schafer described Myrdal as “a really good public servant” and “a wonderful human being” who was a great personal friend and political colleague.

“She just was that ultimate kind, honest, compassionate person that we were all joyful at being able to work with and interact with,” Schafer told the AP.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum in a statement called Myrdal “a tireless advocate for the citizens of our state and a champion for children, education and agriculture.” He praised her past school board service and involvement in organizations supporting heritage preservation, conservation and other causes.