Coral Helland Whisenand, 89
Coral Helland Whisenand, beloved matriarch and wife, passed away peacefully at her home in Palm Desert, California, on Jan. 14, 2022. She was 89 years old.
Coral was born in Williston, North Dakota, on December 16, 1932, to her parents Tina and Lewis Helland.
In 1953 Coral married the love of her life, Fred Whisenand Jr. They were married for 69 years until her passing.
Coral was an avid reader and traveler, a passionate golfer, and an amazing cook and entertainer. She will be remembered for her legendary parties and gatherings where the atmosphere was always warm and welcoming. Every holiday she cooked up a spectacular batch of lefse, a tribute to her Norwegian heritage. Through her love for bringing people together, Coral created a legacy of traditions and memories.
She had a great sense of humor and her love for a good time was contagious. Like a hummingbird, Coral stayed busy keeping a cozy, yet pristine, home, organizing golf tournaments at Whitefish Lake Golf Club, caring for the family’s many dogs and cats, and later, regularly sharing funny stories and jokes she came across on the internet. Coral brought so much joy and comfort to the people in her life. She really had a way of making everyone she knew feel special. A dedicated mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Coral was so proud of her family, every single one of them.
Coral was preceded in death by her parents, Lewis and Tina Helland, her brother, Manfred Helland, and her son John Whisenand.
She is survived by her husband, Fred Whisenand Jr.; her sisters, Sharon Jones and Noreen Schroeder of Sebring, Florida; and her sister-in-law, Donna Dugan of Huntington Beach, California. Coral is also survived by her children, Tracey Whisenand, daughter-in-law (John, deceased) of Whitefish Fritz Whisenand and his wife Theresa of Whitefish; Barbara DiBene and her husband Steve of Laguna Niguel, California; and Nancy Johns and her partner Randall Rogers of Minneapolis.
Coral Whisenand had many loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Shawn Whisenand, his wife Bridgette and their two daughters, Alyssa and Macy of Whitefish; Paul Whisenand, his wife Sonja Spitzer and their two children, Beck and Nolan of Arvada, Colorado; Tom Whisenand of Minneapolis; David Whisenand and his wife Katie and their two children, Arthur and Benjamin of Bozeman; Kate Vestal and her husband Trevor, and their two children, Dylan and Ledger of Williston, North Dakota; Joe DiBene of Flagstaff, Arizona; Andrew Whisenand of Westminster, Colorado; Erin Whisenand and her fiance Joseph Brazzale of Wheatridge, Colorado; and Isabella and Madeline Johns of Minneapolis.
A private celebration of life service will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5, at The Club at Morningside, President’s Room, 39033 Morningside Drive, Rancho Mirage, California.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be sent to either the Rancho Mirage Public Library, https://www.ranchomiragelibrary.org/donate/, 71-700 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270; or to Haven of Hope, a shelter for the homeless, https://thoh.org, 1101 W 7th Ave., Denver, CO 80204.