Richard Paul Muhlbradt
Richard Paul
Muhlbradt, 90, Minot,
formerly of Parshall, died
Saturday, May 21, 2016,
in a Minot nursing home.
Richard was born June
19, 1925, in Minot to Her-
man and Doris (Van Sick-
le) Muhlbradt. He was
raised on the family farm
near Raub and attended
country schools in the
area prior to graduating
from Parshall High School
in 1943.
Richard was united in
marriage with Gayle Stall
on November 4, 1945.
They made their home in
Parshall and farmed south
of the community in Lo-
quemont Township for 40
years. In addition to
farming, Richard was a
plumber and pipefitter.
As a member of Plumbers
& Pipefitters Local 300 in
Minot, he worked on ma-
jor construction projects
in the area, including the
Minuteman Missiles, five
western North Dakota
power plants and the coal
gasification plant near
Beulah. He retired in
1985 and moved to Minot.
Richard was a member
of First Lutheran Church,
Minot, the Minot
Chamber Chorale, the
Greater Minot Zoological
Society and SCORE, and
he was past president of
the Minot Area Council of
the Arts. A volunteer
who was handy with a
tool box, he worked on
numerous improvement
projects for local organiza-tions, including Roosevelt
Park Zoo, the Carnegie
Center, the City and
Country Health Clinic,
Western Plains Opera and
the Norsk Hostfest. In
1995, he received the
Minot Sertoma Club’s Ser-
vice to Mankind Award
for his volunteer efforts.
A well-regarded tenor
vocalist, Richard and his
wife/accompanist Gayle
performed at countless
weddings and funerals
through the years. In
1953, he was a featured
soloist on Horace Heidt’s
national radio broadcast,
“American Way.” After
retirement, he took up
painting, specializing in
western art, portraits and
historic sites. His rendi-
tion of Fort Union earned
him Best of Show honors
at the North Dakota State
Fair. In addition to hunt-
ing, fishing and working
in his yard, Richard’s
greatest enjoyment came
from picnicking, camping
and exploring in western
North Dakota with his
family. Proud as he was
of his North Dakota roots,
he penned a history of his
life, Up from the Dirty
Thirties, which included
chapters by his brothers,
Herman, David and Dan-
ny.
Richard is survived by
his wife of 70 years, Gayle
Muhlbradt, Minot;
daughters Kathryn (Dar-
rell) Williams, Bismarck,
and Mary Muhlbradt,
Minot; brother Danny
(Mary) Muhlbradt,
Bismarck; and several
nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in
death by his parents, Her-
man and Doris
Muhlbradt, and brothers
Herman and David.
Celebration of Life ser-
vice: Thursday, May 26,
at 11:00 a.m., First Luth-
eran Church, Minot
Visitation: Friends may
call Wednesday, May 25th
from 4 to 6 p.m. at the
Thomas Family Funeral
Home, Minot.
Memorials are pre-
ferred to the Minot
Chamber Chorale,
Luther’s Kitchen and the
Souris Valley Animal
Shelter.
Those wanting to sign
the online memorial regis-
ter or share memories and
condolences are invited to
use the expressions of
sympathy section at