Ask any of Marie Weins' children and they will tell you what a great woman she is.
Soon, everyone else will know, too.
Weins, a resident of Heartland Care in Devils Lake, was selected to be included in a new book called “Beautiful Women of North Dakota.” The book and accompanying art exhibit, will be unveiled this weekend in Fargo, during a red carpet ceremony.
“I think it's awesome,” said Marie's daughter, Arlene Janzen of Devils Lake. “I think it's well deserved for her.”
The book began as an idea from photographer Billy Black. He and his wife, author Chris Linnares, decided to introduce their three daughters to the everyday women in North Dakota who created extraordinary lives. They took their family on a road trip in a motor home to meet the women who are quietly working to make the world a better place.
Marie's daughter, Helen Petty of Devils Lake, said her mother was interviewed and videotaped last spring, but none of them have seen the final product.
On Saturday, Petty, Janzen and numerous family members will be there when the book is officially released. They will be making the trip to Fargo in honor of their mother, who cannot attend in person.
“She's not able to leave the nursing home,” Petty explained.
Petty said her mother doesn't seem to understand the magnitude of the honor, but was impressed that Gov. Hoeven would be speaking at the event.
“I don't think the full impact is going to hit her until she sees the book,” she said.
Other women selected for the book include Deb Dawson, who is working to build an orphanage in Sudan and Christine Peterson, who is leaving her two children to serve in Afghanistan.
“When I was interviewing these women, I felt truly in love with this blessed country. I wonder about women in other states who are quietly making the world a more beautiful place. I want them to be recognized,” commented Linnares. “These are the women I want my daughters to see and hear about.”
Janzen said she is excited that her mother was selected to be in the book with these wonderful women — and she feels her mother is just as deserving.
“She's one of the steadfast people in the community — she's been through a lot, seen a lot and done a lot.”
Devils Lake, ND —
