Loren Butgereit
Oct. 17, 1947-Oct. 12, 2017
Loren Butgereit, 69,
Minot, formerly of Coteau
and Bowbells area, passed
away on Thursday, Oc-
tober 12, 2017 in his
home.
Loren was a man of few
words but great wisdom.
Loren was born on Oc-
tober 17, 1947, the son of
Clifford E. and Mary
Jeanne (Staib) Butgereit in
Powers Lake, ND. His
fondest childhood
memories were wandering
the hills of the family
farm with his brother Lar-
ry and friends. He attend-
ed school in Coteau,
North Dakota until it
closed when he
transferred to Bowbells,
North Dakota where he
graduated in 1965. Loren
was baptized and con-
firmed in the Lutheran
faith at Zion Lutheran
Church in Coteau. As a
young boy, he and his
brother enjoyed spending
their summers in Aiken,
Minnesota at Grandma
and Grandpa Staib’s.
Loren spent many hours
bowling at the lanes in
Bowbells and became a
very accomplished
bowler.
Loren was a proud
veteran and loved this
country. He loved to
listen to the National An-
them and did not like
when people sang their
own version as it was
meant to be sung one way
only. He entered the
Army February 12, 1966
and his military career
took him to Germany and
many places. He was
honorably discharged on
November 28, 1968. It
was while he was in the
Army that he met his best
buddy Joe Moyle and they
enjoyed each other’s com-
pany the remaining years
of their life. Joe and Loren
could sit for hours and
never talk but once the
girls entered the picture
and started talking they
would tell them to be
quiet they were having a
great time.
Loren and Sally Myren
knew each other from the
time Sally was a
preschooler. They were
united in marriage on
January 22, 1977 at Christ
Lutheran Church in Lig-
nite, North Dakota and
made their home in
Minot. Loren was warned
if he was late, the wed-
ding was off, well Sally
was late due to a snow
bank her and her mother
managed to get stuck in.
Sally spoke her vows ever
so softly and Loren said it
was the only time Sally
could not speak. They had
that special love, a love
that grew through good
times and bad. The most
special part of those
soft-spoken vows was the
“in sickness and health”.
They celebrated their 40th
wedding anniversary in
January with many
memories to look back on
with smiles and tears.
Loren and Sally were
blessed with a daughter,
Anna Marie born on
February 12, 1978. As a
child, you would find
Anna sitting in her dad’s
arms watching TV or be-
side him in the garage
where he taught her all
the things a girl would
need to know to fix her
car, her home and every-
thing in between. He
would proudly tell others
“that’s my girl” when
Anna displayed these
traits learned from her
dad. Throughout his
health issues, her time
with her dad became so
much more special. A
daddy’s girl with a bond
that will never be broken.
A son John Joseph en-
tered Loren and Sally’s
life on January 31, 1983.
Loren taught John that
there is no such thing as
cannot–you just find a
way to do it. Loren was so
proud of his son and al-
ways called him the kid.
When they called each
other, Loren would al-
ways say “Hello Kid
What’s Up”. Loren and
John have always shared a
special bond but it was
through their putting up
hay that the bond grew
and grew. Loren always
said John can figure any-
thing out and fix their
machine when it broke
down. They had their
own special goodnight ri-
tual but it always ended
with John pinching
Loren’s toe and saying
“Good night Pops I Love
You. Just last Monday
Loren was having a tough
day and not talking much
but when John came that
evening he talked a lot.
Loren was the sports
dad who showed his sup-
port in quiet ways of en-
couragement. A thumbs
up from the bleachers,
with that smirking grin
under his farm cap meant
the world to his children.
Loren may not have been
a healthy grandfather but
he was an inspiration to
his grandchildren. Teach-
ing his oldest, Addyson to
crawl at 6 months, shortly
after his cancer diagnosis.
His grin as he watched all
five of them grow showed
the pride he felt in his
family. Those extra years
that Loren struggled with
his health were challeng-
ing, however a gift to all
of us. An extra day of gui-
dance from the guy who
had so much knowledge
to share. Overcoming his
5% survival odds over
nine years ago, was some-
thing only a man with
Loren’s determination and
love for his family could
accomplish. Loren was a
true man that finished the
race with a full heart, a
full life and a family that
filled each day with love.
Loren could fabricate
almost anything and was
often asked to help others
with necessary repairs.
The one big project was
when he converted a trac-
tor snow blower to fit the
front of a pickup (Loren
called Old Red) and built
an auxiliary engine to
power it from the pickup
box with the controls in
the cab. He was even on
TV to demonstrate his
monster. Old Red is up
and running again due to
the combined effort of
John and Loren’s team-
work. Our world was
made easier because of
Loren always being there
to consult and work
through a problem with
us. Many have shared
their gratitude for all the
free advice he gave. Just
his voice on the phone to
his children reassured
them they were loved and
gave them the courage to
keep working towards a
solution to whatever prob-
lem they faced.
He enjoyed the family
time spent together camp-
ing in recent years. He
would smile from ear to
ear as he pulled his kids
behind the boat while
they were tubing or ski-
ing. This summer the But-
gereit family setup a per-
manent site on Devils
Lake. Loren bought an ice
cream maker for the
camper so the grandkids
would have homemade
ice cream on demand. He
enjoyed the quiet peaceful
feeling of the lake and
wanted to make sure it
was set up for all of us to
enjoy in the event he was
no longer able to be with
us.
Loren will forever be
remembered as a man
with a caring heart and
skillful helping hand.
When others offered him
money for his help, he de-
clined as he hoped some-
one would help his wife
or daughter if they needed
it. His country back-
ground made him aware
of how important the sim-
ple act of being neighbor-
ly was.
Loren gave his family a
lot of years they had not
bargained for. He was di-
agnosed with Esophageal
Cancer nine years ago in
June and he graced this
world with memories only
a husband, dad, papa and
brother can provide.
He is survived by:
Wife of 40 years, Sally,
Minot;
Children: Anna (Micha-
el) Leddige, Grand Forks
and John (Krystal) But-
gereit, Minot; grandchil-
dren: Addyson, Brody and
Easton Leddige; Sullivan
and Boden Butgereit;
Brother: Lawrence (Ter-
ri) Butgereit, Littlerock,
CA;
Sister In Law: Patsy
(Larry) Berg, Bismarck,
ND;
Nieces, nephews: Amy
King, Emily Butgereit,
Teresa (Tom) Johnson,
Todd (Mary) Radenz, Tom
(Steph) Radenz, Tony
(Tina) Radenz
Special Friends:
Maureen and Tom Allen
Loren was preceded in
death by his parents and
in-laws: Clifford and Mary
Jeane (Kitty) Butgereit,
Adolph and Louise
Myren, Maternal and
Parental Grandparents
Best Friend: Joseph
Moyle
Visitation: Monday, Oc-
tober 16, 2017 from 4-7 at
Thompson Larson Funeral
Home, Minot
Funeral Service: Tues-
day, October _17, 2017, at
10:30 am at Zion Lutheran
Church, Minot
Burial: Rosehill
Memorial Park, Minot
Thompson Larson Fun-
eral Home, Minot