Darlene V. Sollie

Darlene Sollie, age 85, of Lengby, MN, passed away on Thursday, August 31^st, at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 9^th, at Vernes Lutheran Church, rural McIntosh, with Rev. Lee Laaveg officiating. Interment will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service on Friday, September 8^th, and for one hour prior to the service on Saturday morning. All visitation will be held at Vernes Lutheran Church. The service will be recorded and available for viewing on and after Sunday on the Carlin website. Arrangements are with Carlin Family Funeral Service of Fosston and messages of condolence may be shared at www.carlinfuneral.com.

Darlene Vivian (Enerson) Sollie was born on August 24, 1938, to parents Elmer and Mabel (Hendrickson) Enerson. She was born in Chester Township, rural Trail, on her grandparents’ farm, Haakon and Christine Hendrickson. She grew up nearby and began her schooling at Roseland Country School until its closing. From there she continued on at Trail School, finishing her education at Oklee High School where she graduated in 1956.

Darlene began her working career in Minneapolis, MN. She missed the rural life and returned home where she worked in the office at Swenson Equipment. It was there that she quickly took on other tasks, including driving semi at the age of 18. It was on one of these trips to the Winger Sales Barn that she set her eyes on a young auctioneer. As fate would have it, that auctioneer’s name was Orlien Sollie.

Darlene and Orlien were united in marriage on April 20, 1957, at Vernes Lutheran Church. After their marriage, they lived and raised their two children, Linda and Larry, on Darlene’s home farm in Chester Township.

Her driving career continued, this time hauling children instead of livestock. Darlene drove bus for the Oklee School District (where, according to her, she transported every student north of Highway 92 to the Canadian border). She then moved on to Intercounty Community Council in Oklee in the senior program where she truly enjoyed her time working with seniors.

In 1968, Darlene and Orlien started Sollie Enterprises (Sollie Realty) located in Fosston. She wore many hats during their years in the business together, including American Family Insurance Agent, real estate appraiser, township assessor for multiple counties, as well as both having an auctioneering license. They worked side by side in the business for over 47 years until Orlien’s passing on December 17, 2015. Darlene continued to be fully active in the business until the very end.

Darlene’s main purpose in life was to serve others. She was a devoted servant to her church and in the community. As faith was an integral part of her life, Darlene volunteered as a Sunday School teacher, a member of the Vernes Ladies’ Aid, and served on various church boards throughout the years. As a part of the community, she was active in the Lioness Program, Fosston Economic Development Association, and numerous other community events and activities.