Floyd Richard

Floyd Peter Richard of

Rolette, N.D., died peace-

fully in his home on Fri-

day, May 29, 2020, at the

glorious age of 91.

A private family fun-

eral will be held on Mon-

day, June 2, 2020 at 3:00

pm at the Sacred Heart

Catholic Church in Rolla.

His funeral will be live

streamed at https://

youtu.be/kJt–0aqsYSw.

Floyd was born January

4, 1929, in the Rolette

Hospital to George and

Anna (Boucher) Richard.

Growing up through the

Great Depression and

Dust Bowl, Floyd was al-

ways enthralled with his

parents’ farming opera-

tion, recounting

numerous stories about

bringing lunch to the field

as a young boy, then

threshing and hauling

bundles as a teenager.

Floyd’s formal educa-

tion ceased at 8th grade as

he struck out on his own

at age 14, yet his thirst for

knowledge – particularly

about agriculture – never

stopped. As a young man,

he farmed with his broth-

er Art and made ends

meet by installing heating

systems for a local con-

tractor. A 1952 scholar-

ship to a “Short Course in

Agriculture” at North

Dakota State University

(NDSU) in Fargo, N.D.,

solidified his decision to

farm. He went on to farm

for 66 years in Rolette, Pi-

erce and Bottineau Coun-

ties, retiring from the pro-

fession at age 85. He saw

the evolution of agricul-

ture from literal

horse-power, to today’s

precision ag, survived

droughts, floods,

depressed farm markets

and the farming crisis of

the 1980’s. Floyd epitom-

ized Paul Harvey’s writing

“So God Made a Farmer.”

He rejoiced in seeing a

field of ripe wheat or a

newborn Polled Hereford

calf.

On June 10, 1954, Floyd

married Carmen Leonard

of Fonda, N.D., at Sacred

Heart Catholic Church in

Thorne, N.D. The couple

made their home 10 miles

southwest of Rolette,

where they raised six chil-

dren, each of whom share

their Dad’s love of agricul-

ture.

Throughout his farming

career, Floyd was recog-

nized by numerous

groups and organizations,

being named a North

Dakota Seedstock Produc-er of the Year by the ND

Beef Cattle Improvement

Association (NDBCIA), an

Honorary State and

Chapter Farmer from the

FFA, an Outstanding Con-

servationist by the Rolette

County Soil Conservation

District and Rolette Coun-

ty Agriculturist of the

Year by the Rolette Coun-

ty NDSU Extension Ser-

vice. He was a charter

member of the National

Cattlemen’s Association,

president of the North

Dakota Polled Hereford

Association, a 26-year

member of the North

Dakota Stockmen’s Asso-

ciation, and a member of

the NDBCIA. He was

proud to have exported

Polled Hereford cattle to

Chile in the late 1960’s.

His opinions were as

strong as his Catholic

faith, which he lived out

in quiet action, as a

member of the Knights of

Columbus and active par-

ticipant in the men’s Cur-

sillo. He served 18 years

on the Rolette Hospital

Board of Directors.

Floyd could strike up a

conversation with anyone

and had the uncanny abil-

ity to make others laugh.

He enjoyed a good joke, a

strong handshake, playing

cards, and dancing to the

music of a live band.

When he wasn’t farming,

he absolutely relished a

heated political debate

among family or friends –

particularly if the subject

was. . . farming. He had

more common sense than

many with advanced edu-

cation and could calculate

numbers in his head fas-

ter than they could be

punched into a calculator

– routinely pricing the

cost of the girls’ shopping

trips in bushels of wheat.

Floyd is survived by:

his loving family, wife of

65 years Carmen, his chil-

dren: daughter Cheryl

(Keith) Anderson of Wal-

cott, N.D.; sons Daniel

(Mary) Richard, Curt (Cin-

dy) Richard, Craig

Richard and Mark

(Lanette) Richard all of

Rolette, N.D.; and

daughter Sheyna (Aaron)

Strommen of Fort Rice,

N.D.; 10 grandchildren

Brady Anderson, David

(Kari) Anderson and Ryan

Anderson, Chelsey (Eric)

Rongen, Kacie (Lacey)

Richard, Riley Richard,

Megan Richard, and Cas-

sidy, Cooper and Clint

Strommen; and 4

great-grandchildren Rid-

ley and Ryker Rongen, Sa-

die Richard and Hayden

Richard. He is also sur-

vived by a sister, Stella

Schimetz, of Dunseith

and brother Donald (Mar-

lys) Richard, of Bottineau.

He is preceded in death

by: his parents, sister

Irene Lagasse and broth-

ers Ernest, Arthur and

Gene Richard.

Arrangements were

with Nero Funeral Home

in Bottineau. Friends may

sign the online register

book at www.nerofuneral

home.net.