Search Archived Marriage Records
Charles V. "Chuck" Thorson, 79
Died: Thursday, September 29, 2005, in Innovis Health Systems, Fargo, ND.
Charles "Chuck" Thorson, 79, of Hawley, MN, died Thursday, September 29, 2005, at Innovis Health in Fargo, ND.
Chuck was born on October 23, 1925 in rural Hawley, MN to Clarence and Tilla Thorson. He attended rural schools in Clay County. He farmed with his father until serving in WWII. Chuck married
Esther Krebs on October 18, 1947 at Trinity Lutheran Church near Sabin, MN. He worked for Alfred Nelson and Norris Pettersen at Nelson Motors in Hawley for several years prior to his employment with the Clay County Highway Department where he worked for 31 years until he retired in February of 1984. He was an active member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Hawley, MN, The Hawley Golden Riders, The Hawley Rodeo Association, and WMSTR.
Chuck is survived by his wife Esther, two sons, Dwight (Jean) Thorson, Berthoud, CO and Gary Thorson, Loreland, CO; three daughters, Lori Thorson, Hawley, MN, Jan (Roger) Anderson, Fargo, ND, and Kathy (Dick) Tiede, Lake Park, MN; one sister, Clarice (Herbert) Aakre, Hawley, MN; twelve grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Tilford and Lester; and one sister Gladys Anderson.
Henry "Bud" Sandal, 70
Died: Tuesday, January 10, 2006, in MeritCare Hospital, Fargo, ND.
Henry B. "Bud" Sandal, Jr., 70, Glyndon, lost his courageous battle with cancer on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 at MeritCare Hospital, Fargo, ND.
Bud was born May 14, 1935, in Riverton Township, Clay County to Henry and Lucille (Holler) Sandal, Sr. He attended country school in Spring Prairie Township, where the family farmed.
On August 26, 1956, he married
Darlene Cope of Hawley. They lived in Spring Prairie Township, raising three children. They were also foster parents for 15 years, caring for 13 children.
Bud worked for Kost Brothers for 42 years. For a large portion of those years, he was plant manager of FM Ready Mix in Fargo. In 1994, he joined Strata Corporation and was instrumental in starting the Strata ready mix plant in West Fargo. He retired in 1998.
Bud was an avid woodworker. He enjoyed camping, golfing, being at the lake, and spending time with his children, grandchildren, neighbors and friends.
Survivors include Darlene, his wife of 49 years; a son Mike (Lorri), Bismarck, ND; a daughter, Michelle (Daniel) Luby, Bemidji, MN; three grandchildren, Nathan and Kristina Sandal and Danielle Luby; his sisters, Delores (Roy) Jorgenson, Hawley, MN and Esther (Richard) Heidmann, New Hope, MN and many other relatives and friends.
Bud was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Robert and a son, Mark.
Albert N. Raney, 76
Died: Monday, March 13, 2006, in MeritCare Hospital, Palliative Care Unit, Fargo, ND.
Albert Neil Raney, 76, passed away March 13, 2006, in the MeritCare Palliative Care Unit in Fargo, ND, after a courageous two year battle with cancer.
Albert was born on February 4, 1930, to Edwin and Virginia Raney in Palo Alto, CA. He grew up and attended country school near Drayton, ND and graduated from Drayton High School in 1948. He attended Concordia College and the University of North Dakota before being called into service by the North Dakota Army National Guard during the Korean conflict. After his time in the Army, he returned to UND and graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1955.
In August 1950, he married
Norma Erickson in Drayton, ND. He owned the Raney Insurance Agency in Drayton and was a member of the American Legion, Drayton Curling Club, and served on the Drayton School Board. They moved to Fargo, ND, in 1975 and owned Acme Personnel Service, Olsten Temporary Service, and Dunhill Executive Search in both Fargo and Bismarck. Albert was an active member of the Fargo Kiwanis.
Albert's faith and commitment to the Lord was foremost in his life. He was a member of the Assembly of God church in both Fargo and Moorhead during his life. He also ministered to local nursing homes, conducted bible study programs, and had a cable TV tape ministry for many years.
Albert is survived by his wife Norma, Fargo, ND; three sons, Kent (Julie), Bismarck, ND, Charles (Audrey), Minot, ND, Craig (Jeanne) Billings, MT; three daughters, Kathy (Marv) Hauger, Grand Forks, ND, Mary (Frank) Pierce, Moorhead, MN, Carol Raney, Fargo, ND; a brother, Ed (Jackie) Raney, Lake Elmo, MN; three sisters, Dorothy (Merrill) Lubka, Fargo, ND, Mary (Dave) Howe, Chicago, IL, and Angie (Arnie) Vinge, Bloomington, MN. He was blessed in life with 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He always remembered them in his daily prayers.
Jerold A. Sundet, 82
Died: Wednesday, June 01, 2005, in Rosewood on Broadway Nursing Home, Fargo, ND.
Jerold A. Sundet (Jerry), 82, died June 1 at Rosewood Nursing Home, Fargo.
Jerry was born Sept. 5, 1922, to John and Marie Sundet, Crookston, Minn., where he grew up. He graduated from high school there in 1940.
Jerry studied music at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., for one year before entering the U.S. Navy, where he served for nearly four years during W.W. II. Soon after he enlisted, he played baritone and alto saxophone with Gobs of Rhythm, a swing band stationed in Miami. Later, Jerry served in the Pacific Theater on a patrol craft. After the war, Jerry continued his education and graduated from the University of Minnesota at Moorhead (then Moorhead State Teachers College) with a Bachelor of Science in music education. He earned a Master of Arts in music from Pacific University, Forest Grove, Ore.; a Doctorate in music education from Northern Colorado University, Greeley, Colo.; and attended the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Jerry married
Dolores L. ("Dee") Strock on her family's farm near Ada, Minn., in 1953. He began his music teaching career at Blackduck, Minn. He also taught at Hawley, Minn., and Coral Gables, Fla. He was a woodwind specialist who played and taught clarinet, oboe, saxophone and flute. In 1956, they moved to Moorhead, where he began a 10-year career at the Campus School, an experimental elementary and high school affiliated with MSTC. As a dedicated band director at the Campus School, Jerry improved the quality of performance to such a degree that the senior band always won first place and top awards at regional competitions.
In 1966, Jerry accepted a full professorship at Minot State University (then Minot State College), Minot, N. Dak., where he taught music theory, music appreciation, music history and woodwind classes. During his tenure at Minot State he published numerous articles on woodwind techniques in national music journals. For 20 years, he was the conductor of the Minot Symphony Orchestra, which in 1966 had fewer than 30 musicians and 50-100 people in concert audiences. By 1971, the symphony had a full roster of musicians, concerts were drawing capacity crowds, and international guest artists were often featured.
Jerry was always interested in developing his conducting and performance skills. He attended conducting symposiums across the country, studying with renowned conductors such as Hans Swarowsky, a former conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic and head of conducting classes at the Vienna Academy of Music. During his sabbatical leave between 1971 and 1972, Jerry and his family lived for nine months in a small English town outside London, where he did musical research and studied oboe with Leon Goosens and Lady Evelyn Barbirolli.
In 1989, Jerry retired from MSU after nearly 40 years as a music educator. He and Dee deconstructed a 100-year-old log cabin near Gary, Minn., and reconstructed it on land they purchased near Velva, N.Dak. They spent free time there before Dee retired and the cabin was sold. They then built their dream home in the woods on Bad Medicine Lake in Minnesota, later moving to Crow Wing Lake, Minn., and then Deadshot Bay on Detroit Lakes, Minn., before moving to Fargo in 2003.
Jerry and his wife enjoyed trips to Portugal, Mexico, Spain and France and around the U.S. and Canada. He was an avid reader of political history and biography. Until his health deteriorated, Jerry especially loved cigars, good bourbon and lively conversation. He will be remembered by family, friends and students as a man with a great sense of humor.
Jerry is survived by his wife Dee, Fargo; daughter Rebecca (Bruce Schoenwald), Fargo; son Mitchell (Rosemary Reynolds), Austin, Texas; and grandchildren Sam Schoenwald and Isolde and Harry Sundet.
The family prefers that memorials be sent to Rosewood on Broadway, 1351 Broadway, Fargo, ND, 58102.
Harry Littlefield Jr., 84
Died: Sunday, February 26, 2006, in MeritCare Hospital, Fargo, ND.
Harry Littlefield, Jr., loving family man and respected former President and General Manager of Branick Manufacturing Company in Fargo, ND, died on Sunday, February 26, 2006. He was 84.
Harry died a few days after being admitted to Merit Care Hospital in Fargo, from the effects of congestive heart failure and complications from dementia. He and his wife of 60 years, LeVoyne, had recently moved to Linden Tree Circle at Eventide in Moorhead, MN.
Harry was born on September 26, 1921, in Clarion, Iowa, the third child of Harry and Georgia (Cook) Littlefield. In 1926 the family moved to Georgetown, MN, farming in the Ulen and Hitterdal areas. After graduating from Borup High School, Harry enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in November 1940. Harry served in the 83rd service group during the air offensive In Europe and Normandy campaigns. He was honorably discharged in May 1945 with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
On furlough he married
LeVoyne Berg on April 22, 1945, in Lake Park, MN. After the birth of their daughter, Viki, the young family moved to Mission, TX, in 1946, returning to Moorhead in 1947 because of his father's illness. In 1952 their son, Robert, was born.
In the early 1950s Harry attended Dakota Business College in Fargo and came to the attention of F. Leland Watkins, who was President. In 1954 Watkins recommended Harry to E.E. "Earl" Branick, describing him as having "great possibilities. He has an attractive personality, the desire to get ahead and, best of all, enthusiasm . . . and anxious to know 'why' as well as 'what.'" Branick had founded a manufacturing company for tire handling equipment in Fargo 30 years before and had asked Watkins to recommend "a man with management potential, capable of carrying on 'when I'm gone.'"
In 1956 Harry left his position at Branick and LeVoyne her position with the Moorhead Public Schools, and they moved to Salem, Oregon. Earl Branick, however, maintained contact with Harry and encouraged him to return to his company, writing in 1958, "You would round out a completed organization."
Harry returned in February 1959, becoming Branick's Credit Manager in 1960 and Vice President in 1967. When Branick sold the company to Applied Power, Inc., of Milwaukee, WI, in November 1968, Harry was given the title of Sales & Service Administrative Manager. In 1976 he became Vice President and General Manager. Harry traveled widely in his position and was active in the National Tire Dealers and Retreader Association, serving as Chairman of the Supplier Group in 1977-78.
In 1979 Harry led a group of four investors who purchased the company, keeping it in Fargo. Harry was the majority stockholder and President and General Manager, putting in place a new sales distribution system and greatly expanding international sales. When it was announced that Harry was the new President, associates throughout the industry wrote to congratulate him, one saying, "This proves that nice guys do finish first."
In 1983 when Harry received the AMF Industry Recognition Award, it was said that he "has maintained the high quality and industry support which have always been associated with the Branick name." In November 1983 he sold his interest in the company, continuing for five years as Chairman of the Board and as a consultant.
For the next 20 years Harry and LeVoyne, who had retired after 30 years with the Moorhead Public Schools, led active retirement lives. They enjoyed their lake home on Big Cormorant Lake and returned to the Rio Grande Valley each winter. In 1984 they participated in the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy. They frequently visited Viki, supporting the history museums she directed in upstate New York, Boston, and, most recently, in Philadelphia. They have been loyal sponsors and participants in Robert's professional activities as a professor in the Communication Department and administrator at North Dakota State University.
For their grandchildren, Lindsay and Brady, they have provided love, encouragement, and support. Their pride knows no bounds. Lindsay will graduate from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Texas in Austin; Brady is a junior at Boston College.
In 1956 Harry became a member of the Moorhead Masonic Lodge No. 126 and later a member of the El Zagal Shrine. He was a 60-year continuous member of American Legion Post 181 in Lake Park, MN. The Littlefield family have been congregants at Elim Lutheran Church in Fargo for nearly 50 years. Harry and LeVoyne created an endowed forensic scholarship in the Communication Department at NDSU.
Harry leaves his wife, LeVoyne; children, Viki (Roberta Bernstein) Sand and Robert (Kathy); and grandchildren, Lindsay (Thomas Allen) and Brady. In addition, he is survived by his brother Don (Martha) Littlefield and sisters Shirlenne Upton and Sharon (LeRoy) Peterman; in-laws Beatrice Littlefield, Delories Berg, Bernice Schulstad (Roland) Olson, Donald (Marion) Berg, and Delaine (Sheldon) Struble; and 27 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, Evelyn Brantner, and two brothers, Kendall and Robert.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Elim Lutheran Church Foundation, 321 North 9th Street, Fargo, ND, 58102.
Harold F. Helmeke, 87
Died: Saturday, January 28, 2006, in Meritcare Hospital, Fargo, ND.
Harold F. Helmeke, 87, Linden Tree Circle, Moorhead, MN, died on Saturday, January 28, 2006, in Meritcare Hospital, Fargo, ND.
Harold F. Helmeke was born in Red Wing, MN, to Fred and Lavinia (Zignigo) Helmeke. He grew up and attended school near Georgetown, MN. He entered the U.S. Army Air Corps on June 13, 1941, and served in the European and African Theatre of WWII, receiving his discharge on June 18, 1945. Harold married
Audrey Mandsager on August 14, 1947, in Georgetown, MN. They lived in Fargo, ND, until 1949. In 1949, they moved to Audrey's parents' farm in the Georgetown/Felton area, where they farmed until their retirement in 1979. They moved to Moorhead in 1987. Audrey died on Tuesday, November 20, 2001, in Eventide Lutheran Home, at the age of 83.
Harold raised certified seed for the University of Minnesota and was once named Premier Farmer of the Year by the University. He also served on numerous boards and committees for the American Crystal Sugar Company, and was on the Georgetown Elevator Board for several years. Harold enjoyed the land and his many years of farming.
Harold is survived by his daughter, Kay (Jim) Hockett, Moorhead, MN; two grandchildren, Matt (fiancé Kelly Pinke), Moorhead, MN, and Angie Hockett, Minneapolis, MN; sister Isabelle Mills, Seattle, WA; five brothers, Loren (Agatha), Fargo, ND, Waldo (Bonita), LeSueur, MN, Lloyd, Moorhead, Lester (Verna), Moorhead, Kerry (Kay), Chapin, South Carolina. He was preceded in death by his wife, Audrey, his parents, and a brother, Maynard.
