Jerry Allen Fuchs

Jerry Fuchs, 63, passed

away unexpectedly Satur-

day, December 2, 2017 in

Minot, ND surrounded by

family and friends.

Jerry Allen Fuchs was

born on January 14, 1954,

in Minot, ND, to Florian

and Loretta (Mullen)

Fuchs from

Foxholm/Carpio. In

1977, Jerry married the

love of his life, Paula Jean

Colby. Jerry and Paula

were married for 40 years

and blessed with two

beautiful children, Ryan

and Erin.

At a young age Jerry

was instilled with a strong

work ethic growing up on

his parent’s farm. His first

handyman job at the age

of 12 was the foundation

for what would later be-

come his love for building

and creating. Besides

working on the oil rigs

when he was young, Jerry

became a laborer for

Warner Construction

where he was introduced

to the construction en-

vironment for the first

time. In 1985, with an

opportunity for advance-

ment, Jerry moved his

family to St. Mary’s, Geor-

gia, where he was given

his first supervisor role

becoming a Superinten-

dent for Blake Construc-

tion. Two years later Jer-

ry and family were

transferred to California.

Jerry’s commitment and

unwavering dedication to

his job with Blake Con-

struction eventually lead

to the pinnacle of his pro-

fessional career when he

was hired by Edge

Development, a national

contracting firm where he

was promoted to Vice

President. Years later

Jerry and Paula decided to

move back home to

Minot, North Dakota

where he was hired by

Shingobee Builders which

in turn opened the door to

his present Superinten-

dent role with Graham

Construction. Jerry was

the lead on countless con-

struction jobs throughout

his career; high schools,

hospitals, colleges, sports

arenas, gas stations and

everything in between, if

Jerry’s fingerprints were

present the job was a suc-

cess.

Besides his family and

friends, Jerry’s work was

his life. His un-

compromising position in

standing for what he be-

lieved was right, and his

meticulous nature in mak-

ing sure everything was

done correctly the first

time was the cornerstone

to the life he lead. Kind-

ness, respect and truth

guided Jerry’s moral com-

pass. Jerry’s “love for

one’s neighbor” is a testa-

ment to his life. Jerry’s

always ready attitude to

lend a helping hand and

love for his family, friends

and neighbors reflects his

life’s passion.

Jerry’s talents were one

of God’s true gifts. Be-

sides his amazing ability

to fish, his true gift was

his ability to craft and

create. From the

workshop he designed

and built from scratch to

foster this God given

talent, Jerry’s custom

works of art were nothing

less than spectacular. It

didn’t matter if it was a

fishing pole for a friend, a

fireplace for his home,

personalized clocks for

loved ones, a hat rack or

shelving for his wife, a

stagecoach for his

mother-in-law, puzzles,

piggy-banks, barns and

dollhouses for his grand

kids or helping his son re-

novate his entire house,

the countless amazing

creations were endless.

In the end the love for

his wife and children is

what fueled Jerry’s ex-

istence. Someone who

might have met Jerry for

the first time might have

been put off by his stub-

born, straight forward,

“tell it how it is” attitude

but it didn’t take long for

that someone to realize he

would give you the shirt

off his back and do any-

thing for you if he be-

lieved it would help.

The love in Jerry’s heart is

what set him apart and

made him the most in-

credibly special, one of a

kind; husband, father,

grandfather, son, uncle

and friend. If a man’s

worth and legacy is meas-

ured by the people they

affect in their lifetime

then there wasn’t a richer

man anywhere. Jerry is a

true angel and we are so

blessed and proud to call

him Dad.

Jerry is survived by:

His beloved wife, Paula

Jean Colby Fuchs, his

children Ryan (Theresa)

Fuchs and Erin (Christo-

pher) Bermudez, five

grandchildren, sisters,

Peggy (Loren) Stach, Mary

(Bruce) Ingebretson, and

twin sister, Jeanie (Daniel)

Lautenschlager; brothers,

David (Lynette) Fuchs,

and Duane Fuchs; and

numerous nieces,

nephews, cousins,

mother-in-law, Irene Col-

by, uncle, Maynard Sand-

berg; and aunt, Joyce

Vogel.

He was preceded in

death by:parents, Florian

and Loretta Fuchs, infant

brothers Donald and Paul

Fuchs, father-in-law, Paul

Colby; aunt, Jeanne Sand-

berg, and uncle, Lt. Col.

Paul E. Vogel.

Mass of Christian Buri-

al: Saturday, December 9,

2017, at 10:30 a.m. at St.

Therese, Church of the

Little Flower, Minot.

Interment: Holy Cross

Catholic Cemetery, Velva,

ND.

Visitation: Friday

from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at

Thompson-Larson Fun-

eral Home, Minot.

Vigil Prayer Service:

Friday at 7:30 p.m. at

Thompson-Larson Fun-

eral Home, Minot.

Memorials: are pre-

ferred to Holy Cross

Catholic Cemetery, Velva.

Those wishing to sign

the online register and

share memories may ac-

cess the online obituaries

section at

(www.thompsonlarson.

com).