LaRue Mai

LaRue Mai, 83, of Bismarck, passed away Thursday, December 18, 2025, at CHI St. Alexius.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, December 23rd, at St. Anne Catholic Church, Bismarck. Burial will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. Visitation will be held Monday, December 22nd, from 5-7 PM at Bismarck Funeral Home, with a Rosary and Vigil Service at 7. Visitation continues one hour prior to the service at the church.

LaRue Mary Mai (Pulver), daughter of Samuel and Ann (Hartze) Pulver, was born on September 26, 1942, at a mine camp near Zap, North Dakota. The family later moved into town, where LaRue attended Zap Elementary and Zap High School, graduating in the spring of 1960. After high school, LaRue moved to Bismarck for a brief time, working as a waitress.

On June 16, 1962, LaRue married Gerald (Jerry) Mai, of Golden Valley, ND, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Beulah, ND, and became a Navy wife. LaRue and Jerry moved around the country, from coast to coast, including a three‑year posting in Oahu, HI, which LaRue especially enjoyed, returning to North Dakota as duty stations changed. Together they raised four boys.

On June 16, 1976, Jerry retired from the U.S. Navy, and the family moved back to North Dakota, settling in Bismarck. LaRue provided a loving home for Jerry and the boys. When the boys all entered school, LaRue returned to work. She was hired as a dietary aide at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center and, fifteen years later, retired as the Assistant Dietary Supervisor.

LaRue loved baking wedding cakes, which she did for many family members and friends. She was also an avid reader and loved to quilt. She enjoyed spending time with her neighbors, Sandy Ternes and Jan Berger, often going out to lunch together.

For their 50th anniversary, LaRue and Jerry took a trip together, visiting many national parks in the Four Corners region and the northern Rocky Mountains. LaRue and Jerry spent 63 joyful years together.

LaRue is survived by her husband, Jerry; her four boys: David, Bismarck, ND; Michael, Gillette, WY; Scott and Shelly, Des Lacs, ND; and Jeffrey, Sarasota, FL; as well as two sisters, Lois Rossum, Sandy, UT, and Elizabeth (Betty) Treib, Bismarck, ND; a brother, Michael Pulver, Gillette, WY; and sister‑in‑law Carol (Mai) and Rod Welke, Minot, ND. She will also be missed by her grandchildren: Ethan Mai, Evan Mai, and Emmitt Mai, Gillette, WY; Megan and Will Zellers, Burlington, ND; and Michael Mai, Des Lacs, ND; and her great‑granddaughter, Adeline Zellers, Burlington, ND.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Sam and Ann; her sister Karen and husband Jack Brant; in‑laws Ken Rossum and Mike Treib; James and Marsha Mai; Eldor and Elna Mai; and Myron Mai.