Olive Ardis (Arde) Thvedt Burt was born in Froid, Montana on September 9, 1925 to Reverend Ingvald and Matilda Thvedt the youngest by ten years of five children.
She died on August 17, 2013, at Parkview Home, Freeport after a two year struggle with Lewy Body Dementia.
Her remains have been cremated and will be interred in the columbarium in Grace Episcopal Church, Freeport.
Soon after Arde was born her family moved to Canada where her father provided pastoral services to several Lutheran (ELCA) congregations. When she was 13 and her father was dying of cancer, the family moved back to the United States.
Arde began her education at Nutana Collegiate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan followed by attendance at five high schools in Minnesota as Arde and her mother moved around after her father's death. Following high school, she entered Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and graduated with a B.A degree in art. She subsequently received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Arde taught at Stout State University of Wisconsin, Menomonie, Wisconsin for two years. She then taught art and design at the University of Wisconsin, Madison for ten years, concluding her career there as an Associate Professor. As an artist, Arde exhibited paintings in numerous venues over the years, including the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union; the Milwaukee Art Center; the Berg Art Center at Concordia College; and the young painters and printmakers of the U.S. traveling exhibitions. Along the way, Arde received a number of awards for her art work including the Randall M. Gay award for watercolors given by the Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance Company award. Arde's works are in a number of permanent collections including the Victoria Art Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; The American Family Insurance Company, Madison, Wisconsin; and the Madison Art Museum, Madison, Wisconsin.
In 1966, Arde and Woodruff A. (Woody) Burt were married in Fairbault, Minnesota. One son, Matthew M. Burt, was born of their marriage. Arde is survived by her husband, her son; daughter in law, Marit Moan; and grandson, Magnus M. Burt, of Vikhammar, Norway.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her three brothers, Samuel, Ingvald and John, and her sister, Rachel Mini.
There will be a memorial service at Grace Episcopal Church in Freeport at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 27, 2013.
Visitation will be on Tuesday, August 27 from 10 a.m. until the time of service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are invited for the Freeport Art Center; the Amity Day Care Center and the Freeport Public School Fund.