Tom Nehring

Bismarck, died Dec. 30,

2017, unexpectedly at

home. A memorial ser-

vice will be held at 10:30

am Wednesday, Jan. 3, at

Bismarck Funeral Home.

Visitation will take place

one hour prior to the ser-

vice. Cremation has taken

place.

Thomas Robert Nehring

was born in Bowbells on

September 3, 1947 to

LaVern “Emil” and Inez

Nehring. The second of

seven children, Tom’s

childhood was peppered

with high jinks straight

out of a Little Rascals ep-

isode. A standout football

player at Bowbells High

School, Tom went to

Minot State on a football

scholarship before

volunteering for the US

Army. He spent two years

in Army intelligence be-

fore being honorably

discharged. Returning to

the US, he moved to

Washington state, marry-

ing Mary Lou Berg, his

first wife, with whom he

had his first son, Troy.

After returning to North

Dakota, Tom attended the

University of North Dako-

ta while working full-time

as an EMT. In Grand

Forks, Tom met his

second wife Brenda Blazer

with whom he had two

sons, Paul and John. In

1984, he moved with his

family to Bismarck, where

he lived until his death.

Tom had a long career

in healthcare with a wide

variety of experiences in

emergency medical ser-

vices, hospital, and clini-

cal administration. He

was a driving force for the

advancement of rural and

emergency medicine in

North Dakota. He helped

found the North Dakota

Medical Emergency Ser-

vices Association, serving

as its first president. He

became one of the first

Nationally Registered

Paramedics in the state –

perhaps the job he most

loved. Tom retired in

2017 as the Director of the

Division of Emergency

Medical Systems within

the North Dakota Depart-

ment of Health.

Tom loved fishing,

hunting, experimenting in

the kitchen, and golfing

with his sons. In his later

years, he enjoyed spend-

ing time with his

grandchildren who all

knew him lovingly as

Papa Tom. Tom’s short

stature was more than

made up for by his out-

sized personality, enter-

taining family and friends

with his jokes and stories

(some more true than oth-

ers).

Tom will be deeply

missed by his children,

Troy (Sarah), children

Cooper and Emily of Seat-

tle, Washington; Paul (Ju-

lia Chapman) of Jersey

City, New Jersey; and

John (Samantha Brock-

man), children Mabel and

Marshal of Bozeman,

Montana; brother

Lawrence (LeeAnn) Nehr-

ing, Cynthia (Jim) Gallier,

Randall (Debbie) Nehring,

David (Jeri) Nehring, Re-

becca (Lyndon) Nelson,

Kathleen (Doug) Beard;

his former spouse and

caring friend Brenda

Blazer, Bismarck; and

numerous nieces and

nephews.

Tom was preceded in

death by his parents, Emil

and Inez Nehring, and

former spouse Mary Lou

Berg.

In lieu of flowers,

memorials may be given

to two organizations close

to Tom’s heart, the Rural

EMS Association Founda-

tion, 1622 E. Interstate

Ave, Bismarck, ND 58503,

or the American Heart As-

sociation, North Dakota

chapter, 1005 12th Ave-

nue SE, Jamestown, ND

58401.