Gary Louser

Gary Louser, 81, Minot,

ND, passed away peace-

fully Saturday, November

2, 2019, in his home.

Gary George Louser was

born February 24, 1938,

the son of Albert and Ro-

sina (Friese) Louser, in

Underwood, ND. He at-

tended high school at Cro-

sier Seminary in Onamia,

MN for two years and St.

Mary’s High School in

Bismarck, ND, for two

years, graduating from St.

Mary’s in 1956. He joined

the ND National Guard

after graduating from high

school. He attended St.

John’s University in Col-

legeville, MN and later

transferred to ND State

University in Fargo, ND,

where he joined the

ROTC flight program. He

earned his degree in

electrical engineering

from NDSU in 1961 and

was recognized as a Dis-

tinguished Military Gra-

duate. He was commis-

sioned as 2nd Lieutenant

in the US Army on July

31, 1961. He served as a

pilot in his first tour of

duty in Vietnam and as a

helicopter pilot in his

second tour of duty in

Vietnam. In 1971, he was

accepted in the US Navy

Test Pilot School in Pa-

tuxent River, MD. After

completion of that pro-

gram, he spent the next

four years as an instructor

on the staff at the Navy

Test Pilot School. Gary

considered being sta-

tioned in Vicenza, Italy as

the unit commander of

the Aviation Detachment

as the best three years of

his military career. He

was dual rated in fixed

wing and rotary wing air-

craft.

Gary was honorably

discharged from the mili-

tary after 22 years in the

Army. Following his

discharge, he became a

test pilot for the FAA in

Chicago, IL. In that posi-

tion he tested hot air bal-

loons and was the first pi-

lot to fly the Goodyear

Blimp Columbia II, along

with new props and a

new bi-plane. In 1990, he

began a different job in

Atlanta, GA, evaluating

flight simulators, traveling

to Europe, China and

Japan to inspect their

simulators to make certain

they were in proper con-

dition. He retired from

that position in 2003, but

he continued to do con-

sulting for the United

States Air Force.

Gary was united in mar-

riage with Jean Sauter

Fayetteville, NC, in July of

1964. They made their

homes in various military

installations, ultimately

returning to Fayetteville

where they lived until

Jean passed away in Sep-

tember of 2014. Gary then

returned to ND to live at

The View in Minot. He

loved that home, the staff

and the residents. He en-

joyed socializing with

friends, playing cards,

golfing and being close to

family. Gary was a man of

strong faith, he took great

pride in his military ser-

vice and was a proud

American.

His loving family in-

cludes: brothers, Larry

(Diane) Louser, Minot,

and Bob (Anna) Louser,

Issaquah, WA; nieces and

nephews, Steve Freier,

Penny (Steve) Lilly, Julie

Freier (Tate) Landis,

Angela Louser, Scott

(Alexa) Louser, Stacy

Louser (Eric) Schaeffer,

Brian (Jenny) Louser,

Brent (Laura) Louser;

several great-nieces and

great-nephews;

sister-in-law, Sylvia

Davis, Indiana; and

several cousins.

Gary was preceded in

death by: his mother, Ro-

sina; wife, Jean; sister,

Gwen Freier;

brother-in-law, Clancy

Freier, nephew, Mike

Freier; mother-in-law, Isa-

bell Swink; and

brother-in-law, Howard

Davis.

Mass of Christian Buri-

al: Monday, November

11, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. at

Our Lady of Grace Cathol-

ic Church, Minot.

Interment: Monday at

2:45 p.m. at St. Nicholas

Catholic Cemetery, Garris-on, ND.

Visitation: Sunday from

2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at

Thompson-Larson Fun-

eral Home, and Sunday

from 6 to 7 pm at Our

Lady of Grace Catholic

Church, Minot, ND.

Vigil Prayer Service:

Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at

Our Lady of Grace Cathol-

ic Church, Minot.

Memorials: In lieu of

flowers and plants,

memorials are preferred

to Trinity Hospice or ND

Veterans Cemetery in

Mandan.

Those wishing to sign

the online register and

share memories may ac-

cess the online obituaries

section at www.thompson

larson.com.