Mark Harness
Mark Harness, 68, Vel-
va, ND, passed away
peacefully on Sunday,
January 23, 2022.
Born in 1953 to Emil
and Margaret (Thompson)
Harness, Mark lived with
his family on the Ole Har-
ness homestead north of
Velva. He attended coun-
try school “North Prairie
#2” through the third
grade and then completed
the remainder of his edu-
cation at Velva Public
School, graduating from
high school in 1971.
Mark farmed his entire
life, initially helping his
dad and then taking over
the farm once his dad re-
tired. Mark loved farming;
driving the combine dur-
ing wheat harvest on his
August birthday was al-
ways a favorite way to
celebrate his day. Next to
farming, Mark’s biggest
passion was driving any-
thing that went fast:
snowmobiles, motorcy-
cles, and cars. Mark
worked as a snowmobile
mechanic for the local
race team all through the
1970s, fixed up old Case
tractors in the 1980s, and
started taking vacations to
West Yellowstone to
snowmobile in the Rock-
ies in the 1990s. When he
wasn’t recreating there in
the winters, he was
snowmobiling in the Tur-
tle Mountains and across
the local prairies. The
past decade he drove his
Triumph Rocket III over
20,000 miles on the rural
highways of north central
North Dakota. Visiting
was Mark’s superpower.
He loved to refill his cof-
fee cup and tell stories
with friends and family
members, and he always
valued when people made
time to talk. An avid
reader and history buff,
especially about WWII,
Mark was very proud of
his parents’ military ser-
vice – Emil as an Army
Medic and Margaret in the
Navy WAVES. Mark
served on the North
Prairie Township Board
and was a member of the
Oak Valley Lutheran
Church.
Mark was preceded in
death by his parents, Emil
and Margaret Harness;
and numerous aunts and
uncles.
He is survived by his
sister, Mary Harness, Tuc-
son, AZ; aunt, Helen
Thompson, Reno, NV;
several cousins; signifi-
cant other, Liz Gjellstad,
Minot, ND; bonus chil-
dren, Melissa Gjellstad,
Grand Forks, ND; and
Clint and Jamie Gjellstad,
Velva, ND; and 3 bonus
grandchildren, Odin, Isa-
belle, and Aurora
Gjellstad.
Many caregivers eased
Mark’s journey with canc-
er these past years, and
we offer our sincere
thanks for the excellent
care he received.
Mark believed that the
volunteer fire and ambu-
lance departments are a
critical service for farmers
and rural residents; in
lieu of flowers, memorials
to the Velva Fire Depart-
ment and Velva Ambu-
lance Service are pre-
ferred, or to the charity of
your choice.
A private service for
immediate family will be
held this week. There will
be a graveside celebration
of life at Velva Communi-
ty Cemetery in the spring
of 2022.
Those wishing to sign
the online register and
share memories may ac-
cess the online obituaries
section at
(www.thompsonlarson
.com).