Arcelia A. Losby, 92, formerly of Minot, ND, went Home to be with the Lord, December 12, 2014, at Northwood Deaconess Health Center, Northwood, ND.

Arcelia Annetta Hoover was born May 11, 1922, in Zion, ND, to Calvin and Selma (Beaver) Hoover. Her father was a machinist for the Great Northern Railway, working in Devils Lake, ND. When Arcelia was two years old, her father transferred to Minot. Through her father's railroad job, the Hoover family received free railway travel passes. Arcelia inherited her parents' love for travel, always ready to leave at a moment's notice for either spontaneous day trips or scheduled lengthy vacations. She often joked that travelling was in her blood. Every summer, the Hoovers travelled to Wenatchee, Washington, to spend a month with her father's siblings and their families. Throughout the year, Arcelia and her family often visited her mother's seven brothers and their families at the Beaver family farm outside of Rolette, ND.

Arcelia graduated from Minot High School in 1940. As a high school graduation present, Arcelia and her parents took a month-long trip around the US by train. She earned a certificate as an X-ray operator from Trinity Hospital School of X-ray. She graduated from Minot State College with a bachelor's degree as a medical technologist. After graduation, Arcelia began working in Lab and X-ray at Trinity Hospital in Minot. While there, she was directed to give a diathermy treatment to an elderly patient in Room 415 at Trinity. As she set up the treatment, the patient's roommate, Chris Losby, asked if she really knew what she was doing. He laughed and teased, wondering if she could operate the machine, and Arcelia became flustered. When the patient refused the treatment as a result of Chris' remarks, Arcelia was embarrassed and insulted. Later, Arcelia returned, asking for an apology, which she never got. The previously-insulting remarks were soon forgotten, as she got to know Chris, a long-term patient at Trinity Hospital.

A slight, broad-shouldered fellow with glasses and a warm smile, Chris grew up on a ranch near Des Lacs, ND. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis in his teens, most of his joints were rigid. He could only stand or lay on his back, and could not sit up. He had many intermittent hospital stays, with one stay lasting seven years. Arcelia and Chris shared a strong faith in God, belief in the power of prayer, a shared sense of humor, and love for travel, reading and learning. When Arcelia followed her family to Spokane, WA, their courtship continued for a couple of years via the US mail. She was employed there at St. Luke's Hospital in the Lab. In 1945, Chris' doctors recommended hydrotherapy treatments, and he was transferred to Levi Memorial Hospital in Hot Springs, AR. Chris and Arcelia became engaged, and were married in a patio ceremony at the hospital, September 30, 1945. Their wedding was very unique, performed by a Baptist minister at a Jewish hospital. Their guests were hospital patients and staff; their wedding feast was Kosher, as their wedding coincided with a Jewish holiday. The hydrotherapy appointments eventually proved to be ineffective for Chris. The young couple was homesick for their families, and they returned to Minot. Arcelia was re-employed at Trinity Hospital Lab. Within a year, the Losbys embarked on a new venture, as they purchased the Bible Bookstore in Minot. Their business incorporated a way to share their faith and an avenue in which Chris could work, despite his physical challenges. Within a week of this purchase, their first daughter, Leoti, was born. For the next three years, Arcelia continued her employment at the hospital, until their business became stronger.

Chris and Arcelia were actively involved in various local Christian organizations. Their business grew, as they began to handle gifts, music, and church supplies, in addition to books. With the expansion of their business, Jean McMartin of St. Thomas, ND, joined the business in 1951 as a bookkeeper. Four years later, she and the Losbys entered into a business partnership.

With a specially-constructed station wagon to accommodate Chris' physical condition, Arcelia, Chris and Allen Faul of Sawyer, ND, travelled thousands of miles in the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota, and Iowa, on weekends, showing Christian films in churches. Many of the films promoted the work of missionaries in foreign countries. The Losbys also frequently hosted missionaries in their home.

On December, 25, 1958, Chris passed away at Trinity Hospital in Minot, following emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer. At that time, Arcelia was pregnant with their second daughter; Heidi was born in May 1959. Following the loss of her husband, Arcelia's faith and circle of friends provided much comfort and support to her.

Arcelia's continued interest in missions led her to become a short-term volunteer through Wycliffe Bible Translators. She and her daughters lived at Lomalinda, Columbia, during the summer of 1969, while she worked at the jungle outpost clinic as a medical technologist.

Following Arcelia and Jean's sale of the Bible Bookstore in 1995, Arcelia and her sister, Donelda, travelled to Korea through Eastern Child Welfare Agency. They escorted five babies to their adoptive parents, awaiting their arrival in New York City. The following year, Arcelia and Jean travelled to Czechoslovakia and Hungary, participating in a missions project focused on helping orphans and the homeless.

Over the years, The Losby family travelled around the US, to annual Christian Booksellers Association conventions. They also travelled with Arcelia's mom through Europe together, while Leoti was employed with the Janz Evangelistic Team in Germany. Arcelia's strong faith in God was very evident to those who met her. She was very active at First Baptist Church in Minot: teaching Sunday school and serving on the Missions and Deaconess Committees. Her hobbies included playing Scrabble, baking and knitting.

In 2001, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, sold her Marion Heights Condo, and moved into Edgewood Vista in Minot. After breaking a hip in 2006, she moved to Northwood Deaconess Health Center, to be closer to her daughter Heidi. When her caregivers asked how she felt, her usual jovial response was: "Fine as frog's hair".

She is survived by daughters: Leoti (Doug) Masterson of Topeka, KS, and Heidi (Bill) Collison, Arvilla, North Dakota; grandson, Jeff Masterson, Topeka; sisters: Myrna (Allen) Faul, Minot, and Donelda (Rod) Thompson, Superior, WI; former business partner Jean McMartin, Northwood; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Arcelia was preceded in death by her husband, parents, brother Leslie Hoover, and grandson, Michael Masterson.

Funeral service: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. in First Baptist Church, Minot.
Interment: S unset Memorial Gardens, Minot.
Visitation: Monday from 2:00-6:00 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
Memorials may be directed to Wycliffe Bible Translators, 11221 John Wycliffe Blvd., Orlando, Florida 32832.