Cover photo for Rae Offutt's Obituary
Rae Offutt Profile Photo
1940 Rae 2017

Rae Offutt

June 2, 1940 — January 12, 2017

Rae Lynn Johnson Offutt was born to Raymond and Ruth Carlstrom Johnson on June2, 1940 in Stillwater, Minnesota. She grew up in Bayport, Minnesota with her parents and one brother, Robert, now of Greeley, Colorado. She died January 12, 2017, at home, after a 7- year battle with multiple myeloma.

Rae graduated from Stillwater High School in 1958 and Hamline University in 1962. While living in southern California she acquired an elementary teaching credential and taught elementary classes for three years.

After moving to Fargo, ND, she continued her education with a learning disabilities master’s degree from Moorhead State University now Minnesota State University Moorhead. She taught for four years at Fargo South High School and established the first secondary L.D. program in North Dakota. In 1981 she began teaching at MSU’s Multidisciplinary Department. She taught there for 16 years and was director of the program for an additional four years. While at MSU she completed a doctoral degree at the University of North Dakota and later did a post-doctoral year at Oxford University in Oxford, England studying the neuropsychology of reading. She retired from MSU in 2001.

On June 7, 1961 Rae married Berch R. Randy Offutt in Bayport, MN. From this union three children were born: Jonathan, Jeffrey and Elisabeth. Randy died in 1994. In 1997 Rae and Roger Richman were joined in a Ceremony of Holy Union at Grace United Methodist Church in Moorhead, MN. Rae became stepmother to three stepdaughters and seven stepgrandchildren.

Throughout her life Rae’s interests included cooking- she published her own cookbook with recipes which she had collected for decades from family and friends. Additional interests were playing the piano, snorkeling, attending operas, and travel. She visited 47 U.S. states and 31 foreign countries. While in high school and college she acted in many plays and she and her first husband, Randy, were founding members of two community theatres, one in Chula Vista, CA and one in Jamestown, ND. She was an avid reader throughout her life and co-founded a book club with others from Moorhead and Fargo which is now in its 22nd year.

Many enjoyable years were spent at her Shell Lake home entertaining family and friends and teaching grandchildren to swim, fish, and cook. An especially wonderful memory is taking flashlight walks through the woods on a Christmas Eve with grandchildren. She adored her family and they her.

Rae was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Berch R. Offutt and stepgrandson, Seth Martinson.

She will be lovingly remembered by Roger Richman, children Jon Offutt Marie, Jeff Offutt Faye, Lisa Offutt, brother Bob Johnson Jill, stepchildren Brenda Kiefer Gary, Karen Martinson Michael, Julie Halvorson Scott, grandchildren Joyce Offutt, Emily Glover Nate, Kate Lucero, Ian and Lynaea Kiefer, Luke, Clay and Noah Martinson, Alycia and Jessica Halvorson, nieces and nephews and many friends.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Rae Offutt, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Monday, January 16, 2023

5:00 - 7:00 pm (Central time)

Wright Funeral Home - Moorhead

605 2nd Ave S, Moorhead, MN 56560

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Service

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Starts at 2:00 pm (Central time)

Grace United Methodist Church - Moorhead

1120 17th St S, Moorhead, MN 56560

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