×

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