Kristin Lynn (Amborn) Dimich

In our darkest hour, we saw God’s light.

Kristin Lynn (Amborn) Dimich, 73, went to Heaven at 2:15 am, April 8, with her two loving daughters, Roni Adams, Kisha Harms, and her adoring husband and soulmate of 54 years, Rod, by her side at home. For two days prior, family and friends had been at her couch-side reaching out to her even though she had begun the long sleep.

Kristin was born to E. Robert and Helen Amborn on June 22, 1950, in Detroit Lakes, MN. Two years later they moved to Lake Geneva, Alexandria, MN, where her dad had accepted a promotion with the MN Soil & Water Service. At their home on Lake Geneva, the family had a hobby farm where Kristin loved to take care of the little lambs, the beginning of her caring for young people. Kristin attended school in Alexandria until the summer after her junior year in high school when her dad accepted another promotion and moved the family to Grand Rapids, MN, where Kristin graduated from Grand Rapids High School in 1968 with Highest Honors, ranking eleventh in her class.

During that summer prior to and even during college, Kristin was a waitress at Mickey’s Café in Grand Rapids, where she met and worked with many wonderful and memorable people. In the fall of 1968, Kristin enrolled at Bemidji State University, majoring in elementary education and working several jobs there to defray college costs. As she had done since she was 15, Kristin paid her own way for everything, including the stylish clothes, rings, and jewelry that were to become her trademark. In the spring of 1969, Kristin met her future husband, Rod Dimich, a graduating senior. It was then the stars aligned, thus beginning a fairytale love as both were romantics who dreamed of a life together with wonderful children, which they received. When they became engaged they had matching gold necklace medallions made with “God ∞ Love” on one side and “Kristin ∞ Rod” on the other, which they have worn for 53 years. They married on December 18, 1971.

Although their Earthly love physically ended on that dark and rainy night of April 8, 2024, when cancer stole her away, their great love will live on in their children, grandchildren, friends, the staff she worked with, and the many students whose lives she so magically and positively touched when she proudly taught 3rd grade at Southwest School in Grand Rapids ISD #318 for 33 years, and then subbing and pre-kindergarten screening for another 12 years until 2022. Her unbridled enthusiasm, kindness, positive attitude, flair for life, warming smile, cheerful laugh, sparkling personality, generosity, compassion, and complimentary nature to make others feel treasured and appreciated will live on through all those who knew and loved Kristin.

Above all, Kristin was immeasurably proud of her family, who she guided with a mother’s and grandmother’s love and the objective “right and wrong” directional instructions of a teacher. With Kristin’s empathy, love, compassion, unfailing zest for life, nature, food, and exercise, she lived life to its fullest. She loved fishing with Rod, traveling with friends, and enjoyed beyond words life at the lake with friends and family at their “High Banks” cabin on the east side of Big Winnie where they saw God-painted sunsets over Winnie’s wondrous waters, swam in its big rolling whitecaps, took long walks on the salt-fine shoreline and logging roads, and sat around a pine-smoke scented campfire under the stars and moon. Kristin’s greatest love, however, was her family to whom she would always say that she “loved them to the moon and back,” a tradition she started with first grandchild, Mila, as Mila began her brain cancer journey when just a first grader who Kristin called her “Star Angel.”

Our family would like you to know that whenever you see anything beautiful in nature, people helping and caring for one another, a romantic couple holding hands, or loving their children, Kristin will be there. She will be in the warm comfort of a mom or dad tucking in their children to sleep. She will be there when someone positively affects another person, a family member, a student, or anyone in need. She will be there when a night campfire glows and when a moon path on the water promises, like a sunrise, that hope and restoration will come. She will be there in both your most dire hours and happiest times.

Kristin was preceded in her passing by her mother and father, grandparents, and various other relatives. She is survived by her husband, Rod Dimich, who, like many spouses, always told her she was his greatest gift in life; her wonderful, caring, and devoted children, daughters Roni (Kirk) Adams, Kisha (Justin) Harms, and son Nikolas; brothers Dr. Reid (Pam) Amborn and Mark (Lori) Amborn, close sister/friend, Michele (Brad) Smith; her precious grandchildren, Mila Adams, Nikoli Adams, Branik Adams, Millie Harms, and Helen Harms; plus many, many close and dear family and friends.

Our family would like to thank Kristin’s caring oncologist for the last six years, Dr. Daniel Nikcevich, and the staff of Essentia Deer River and St. Mary’s/Essentia in Duluth, MN. We would also like everyone to know that after originally being diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2013 and having it return in 2018, Kristin led a full and unfettered physical and emotional life until the cancer spread and began to impact her quality of life last November. Other than that, she was beautiful inside and out and as energetic as she always had been. Kristin’s life motto was to “have faith, hope, believe in restoration, and understand that everything, good or bad, is God’s will and happens for a reason.”

Although with great love comes great pain, we will forever love you, Kristin, “to the moon and back.” In the darkness of your passing, we saw God’s light. Eternal memories—“vechnaya pamyat.” We will see you again when we get there. Finally, when Kristin was diagnosed, we prayed for a miracle, and our prayers were answered—Kristin’s life with us.

Kristin’s celebration of life will be on Monday, April 15, 2024, at the Zion Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, MN, with Pastor Joe Franzone of the West Cohasset Chapel presiding. Visitation is from 12 pm to 1 pm and the celebratory service is at 1 pm. A luncheon will follow at the Zion Church Hall, and for those who choose to attend, the graveside interment will be at the Lakeview Cemetery on “Serbian Hill” in Coleraine, MN at 4 pm.

God bless you all for your love and caring. May you find joy in your peaks and peace in your valleys.

Kristin, you will be loved forever and always.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.