Died: 7 September 2005
Nicole (Balzer) Trauger, 32 years, Mandan, North Dakota died 7 September 2005, at St. Alexius Medical Center, Bismarck, from heart failure. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, 13 September at Christ the King Catholic Church, Mandan, with the Rev. Al Leary officiating. Burial will be at Mandan Union Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, where a vigil service will be held at 7 p.m.
Nicole Balzer was born 22 August 1973. She attended school at Bismarck. She married Jeff Trauger on 18 March 1995. They made their home in rural Mandan, where they raised Arabian horses and Boxer dogs. Nicole liked attending Arabian horse shows. She showed her Arabians and earned several Reserve Champions at the Morton County Fair. She maintained a wide network of friends in the horse world via the Internet.
Nicole’s greatest joy was her family. She loved family celebrations and was looking forward to the baptism of her infant daughter in a few weeks. She was very proud of her children and attended their band concerts, sports events and other activities with great pride. She enjoyed having a family float in the Mandan Fourth of July parade. Camping with her family, and hunting, were some of her favorite activities. She liked collecting antique dolls, crystal horses, Breyer horses, horse mementos, state thimbles and Betty Boop memorabilia.
Nicole did babysitting and worked at various part-time jobs as family circumstances permitted. She had been an assistant Cub Scout leader and she also liked to help with Girl Scout activities. She rode in the annual St. Jude Children’s Hospital fundraiser.
Nicole is survived by her husband, two sons, two daughters, one stepson, her parents, her sister, two half-brothers and her paternal grandmother.
Nicole is listed in the 4th edition of the Seidemann Family Tree Book on page 402 with her husband Paul Jeffrey Trauger, Sr and their children.