Mavis Arlene Hvidsten

Mavis Arlene Hvidsten of Bella Vista, Ark., passed away on May 2, 2017. Born Jan. 23, 1938, during a blizzard in Hallock, Minn., to Myrtle and Henry P. Johnson. Mavis graduated from Lake Bronson High School in Minnesota with perfect attendance for twelve years and from the College of DuPage located in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Mavis married Bert Allan Hvidsten on Sept. 3, 1960. They had three children and spent the early years of their marriage making homes in suburbs of Minneapolis, Youngstown, Ohio, and Naperville, Ill. In 1974 they moved to Lakota, N.D., where they lived for 23 years. Mavis and Al enjoyed a good road trip and that is how they discovered Bella Vista. They were immediately drawn to the area because of its natural beauty and friendly people, and moved there permanently in 1998. Mavis was a successful Realtor for the past 28 years, first with Belmont Realtors in Grand Forks, N.D., and for nearly 19 years with Coldwell Banker HMF in Bentonville. She loved meeting and connecting with families and the challenge of helping them find a perfect home. Mavis was always active in her church and was a member of United Lutheran Church in Bella Vista. Wherever she lived, Mavis made close, lifelong friends, from her school days in Lake Bronson through her many years in Lakota and her life in Bella Vista. Above all, she enjoyed hosting memorable family get-togethers, traveling with Al and spending time with her many friends. Mavis was extremely energetic and always staying busy with real estate, keeping track of her family, volunteering at the church and engaging in various projects around her home. Mavis was the heart and core of her family, and we will miss her humor, strength, determination, motherly advice and beautiful spirit. Mavis was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Sharon Vagle, her brother H. Dale Johnson, and son-in-law Ted Redlaczyk. Left to cherish her memory are her loving husband Al of Bella Vista; daughter Janelle Redlaczyk and granddaughter Claire, of Bella Vista; daughter Sandra Schultz, her husband Charles, and grandchildren Sydney and Axel, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; son Bruce and granddaughter Christa, of Dallas; sister Fern Maxine (Wilbur) Knoll of Ashley, N.D., and brother Wesley (Marilyn) Johnson of Nevada, Mo. A memorial service will be held at United Lutheran Church in Bella Vista on Monday, May 15 at 11 a.m. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the United Lutheran Church Scholarship Fund. Arrangements are by Bella Vista Funeral Home & Crematory. On-line condolences may be made at www.funeralmation.com.