Fargo woman who’s made more than 3,000 masks helps one couple fulfill their wedding dreams amid a pandemic

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Cathy Lunde began to self-isolate in February on the advice of her doctor since she’s immunocompromised.

She, like most of us, quickly got bored, and then began making masks to pass the time.

“I need to do something and this was a great way to be able to give back,” Lunde said.

To date, Lunde’s made more than three thousand masks to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“They’ve gone to Sanford Hospital. Essentia [Health]. Essential clinic. The VA hospital. Some of the Hornbacher’s stores. Great Plains Food Bank. Family, friends. Neighbors, I did it for the neighborhood,” Lunde said.

Lunde added she’ll wake up around 8 or 9 a.m. and sew until about 2 a.m. and then do it again the next day.

“I love to be able to help people out. That’s just the way we’re supposed to be, mom and dad taught us well in that regard,” Lunde said.

She managed to connect with Nathan and Cassandra Johnson while surfing through the social media website Nextdoor.

“Cathy messaged me and said I can do it no problem,” Nathan said.

Nathan had put out a plea on Nextdoor for embroidered masks. Still, masks aren’t the only thing Lunde is donating to the couple. She’s also baking their wedding cake and making the bouquet for free.

“This is somebody, like Cassandra said, an earth angel that we have been blessed to meet and be able to do a lot of this wedding planning with,” Nathan said.

The couple stated several times during our interview they were grateful for Lunde’s actions. The pandemic has forced Nathan out of his job in order to watch their four children, three of whom have autism, as they do remote learning.

“We bought our house in September, and we had a really nice nest egg that we saved up after moving in. And thank God because then covid hit,” Cassandra said.

As for Lunde, she said her slogan is helping mask america.

The couple was supposed to marry at Lindenwood Park. Instead, the wedding will happen in the backyard of their south Fargo home on Sunday.

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