LeRoy “Lee” Aftem
April 27, 1936-Nov. 12, 2020
LeRoy “Lee” Omar
Aftem, 84, of Minot, ND,
passed away on Thursday,
November 12, 2020, in his
home.
Lee was born on April
27, 1936, on the family
farm in Scandia Town-
ship, Bottineau County,
ND, the fourth or five
children to Gina (Bren-
den) and Oscar Melvin
Aftem. Lee attended a
small country school until
he began high school in
Souris, ND in 1950. Lee
graduated with a class of
nine in 1954.
He enlisted in the US
Navy after graduation and
started his naval service
in July 14, 1954. He spent
one year in Okinawa,
Japan and was assigned
the Beachmasters as a Ra-
dioman 3rd Class. Lee re-
turned to the Naval Base
San Diego and concluded
his naval service on June
11, 1958. He was proud to
serve as a sailor.
Lee enrolled in the
University of Colorado in
the fall. He had numerous
jobs as a salesman, bar-
tender and factory em-
ployee in Denver, Colora-
do while going to college.
He lived with his sister’s
family, Joanne and “Rip”
Dranselka, during most of
his college years.
Lee returned to North
Dakota and he married
Lorraine Pfeifer, of Orrin,
ND on December 2, 1967,
and started a family in
1971 with the birth of
daughter, Kendra Lee.
In 1963 he found em-
ployment as a Realty Off-
icer in Real Estate at the
Minot Air Force Base. He
loved the Real Estate of-
fice and his job, and had
the experience of training
many other Realty
Officers throughout
numerous SAC air bases.
He served in the Realty of-
fice until 1983, when he
transferred to Manager of
Base Housing. He enjoyed
the challenge of the Hous-
ing department and held
pride in naming the Saka-
kawea Inn. In 1985 he re-
ceived First Place as the
SAC Services Civilian
Manager. In 1986 Lee re-
tired with 23 years of
Civil Service.
They started their own
business and purchased a
few candy vending
machines in the fall of
1969. Over the years the
business grew into L & L
Vending and 1200
machines in MT, ND, and
SD. After vending for 31
years, the business was
sold in 2000. One special
employee, Dan Henes, be-
came a business partner
and life-long friend.
After full retirement in
2000, Lee became a
member of the Minot
Shrine Club. He loved the
circus and helping chil-
dren. One of his proudest
moments was being the
Circus President in 2004
and 2005. He continued to
support the circus and
other events until 2017,
when he stopped due to
health issues.
Lee also belonged to
several fraternal organiza
tions and served Christ
Lutheran Church. He
volunteered hauling pas-
tries and lefse to the
Norsk Hostfest for 26
years. He was active in
Disabled American
Veterans #4 until COVID
restricted meetings.
Lee enjoyed hunting,
camping, boating and
fishing. For 10 years he
camped at Four Bears
Campground in New
Town, ND; enjoying he
best walleye fishing, and
making friends. He also
enjoyed supporting his
grandchildren in their ac-
tivities. Lee had a passion
for car racing and attend-
ed the Nodak Speedway
starting in the 1970s. This
past summer he watched
many Late Model dirt
track races online with his
family.
Lee’s loving family in-
cludes: Wife, Lorraine,
Minot; Daughter, Kendra
(Mike) Clementich, Minot;
Grandchildren, Lexi
Clementich and Josh
Clementich; Brother,
Daniel (Gwen) Aftem; and
numerous nieces and
nephews also survive.
He was preceded in
death by parents; brother,
Merle (Christine) Aftem;
sisters, Gloria Kent, and
Joanne (Melvin) Dransel-
ka.
Celebrating the Life of
Lee:
Due to the Coronavirus
Pandemic, A Private
Family Funeral Service
by invitation will be held
Thursday, November 19,
2020, at 2:00 pm at Christ
Lutheran Church in
Minot, ND.
Those attending are re-
quired to wear masks and
social distance.
Interment: Rosehill
Memorial Park, Minot,
ND.
Visitation: Wednesday
from 4 to 6 p.m. at
Thompson-Larson Fun-
eral Home, Minot.
Memorials: In lieu of
flowers, memorials pre-
ferred to Shriners Hospi-
tal for Children and Christ
Lutheran Church.
The service will be
livestreamed for the pub-
lic to view and can be ac-
cessed by going to
www.bit.ly/LeeAftem
Funeral
Those wishing to sign
the online register and
share memories may ac-
cess the online obituaries
section at (www.
thompsonlarson.com).