William Nissen Sr.

Minot

William Nissen Sr., 87, Minot, passed away Monday, August 4, 2025, at Trinity Hospital, Minot.

William Otto Nissen was born June 19, 1938, the son of Otto and Edna (Stone) Nissen, in Minot, ND.

Bill lived his first few years in Minot while his father worked at the Roundhouse for the Soo Line Railroad. They moved to a farm in Drake, ND in 1941, his father passed away when he was only 13 and he helped his mother work the farm until he left for high school.

Bill collected scrap in his ’51 Chevy pickup all during his high school years and went on to graduate from Dakota Lutheran Academy in 1956.

He started out as a busboy at the Beaver Palace restaurant in downtown Minot, while there he learned the art of cooking a turkey, not that he ever cooked one, but he was more than willing to tell everyone how to do it correctly.

His truck driving career started in the late 50’s hauling produce from California to the East Coast and he did that for a few years.

Truck Crane Rental was his next employer where he was an Oiler and took over bidding all the jobs for the company. They helped build numerous bridges, buildings and almost every church in the Minot area. Missile sites all over the state also kept them busy for a few years.

It was during this time he met and began his whirlwind romance of Joyce Rice, and in 3 months they were married on September 4, 1966.

The 1969 flood had him working around the clock building dams throughout the city of Minot, his own family’s house was lost in the flood, but they kept going to help others.

He went back to driving truck after the flood hauling grain for Markle Trucking and within the next year he purchased his own truck and J & B Enterprise was established. He hauled everything from different grains grown in ND, to Purina feed, sod, fireplace stone, as well as a lot of honey for the local beekeepers.

In 2003 he decided to retire, he sold his truck and within two days called up a gravel company and went back to work. He continued to drive until 2016 and finally retired again to stay home with Joyce.

He loved the outdoors, camping, fishing and boating are just a few of the things he enjoyed with his family. He loved to watch the golfers, especially the ones that were cheating. And for all that knew him well they would agree that his favorite hobby was talking on the phone. He kept in contact daily with so many people, he always knew what the weather was in every city that his children or grandchildren were in so he could call to see how much rain they got! Over the years the family grew and even though we have so much love for each other there will always be a void that he left behind.

His loving family includes: wife of 58 years, Joyce; children, William T & Peggy (Wald) Nissen, Machelle & Kevin Howe, April & Aaron Boatright; grandchildren, William Matthew & Amanda (Anderson), Levi & Kelly (Loos), Evan Nissen, Heather & Ryan Lowe, Hannah & Nicholas Boatright; great-grandchildren, William Cash & Oliver, Penelope Nissen, Dylon & Alonna Kolobakken, Ryleigh, Hadleigh, Finley & Renley Lowe; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Otto, half brothers Irv, Vern, Ray, half sister Linda.

Funeral: Monday, August 11, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Minot.

Interment: Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot, ND.

Visitation: Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot.

Memorials: are preferred to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

The service will be livestreamed for the public to view.

(Arrangements with Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot)

Published by the Minot Daily News, August 8, 2025.