James Koetter

Lansford

James George Koetter, 81, of Lansford, North Dakota, passed away on October 8, 2025, at home with family after a life lived entirely on his own terms.

James George Koetter was born November 8, 1943, in Minot, North Dakota, the first child of Genevieve (Middendorf) and Cornelious Koetter. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Henry’s Church in Muskego Township and raised on the family farm, where chores came early, cows needed milking, and fields needed plowing. He had a special bond with his grandparents, George and Elizabeth Middendorf, and was known to “run away” to their farm three miles away on his tricycle with his sister Betty in tow. He also treasured his lifelong relationship with his uncle, Edward Middendorf.

After attending Muskego Township country school, he graduated from Glenburn High School and went on to study welding at the North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton — a skill that became the foundation for a lifelong career as a master fabricator and welder.

In 1965, Jim volunteered for the U.S. Army. He trained at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, in radar strategic military observation and was one of only 100 servicemen selected to fly in the OV-1 Mohawk during the Vietnam War — an elite and dangerous role. He served with honor for three years and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Vietnam Campaign Medal before being discharged with distinction. The discipline, precision, and pride he carried from that time stayed with him the rest of his life.

After returning home, Jim worked for Roy Stevens at Stevens Welding in Glenburn before heading west to Glendive, Montana, where he built his reputation under George Rakes as a pipeline fabricator and welder. There, he became a legend — the only man to pass the stainless-steel welding test on his first try. From then on, “Koetter” meant craftsmanship. He laid pipeline throughout much of the western United States. He later opened Jim’s Welding, serving area farmers and ranchers with creativity and perfection few could match. He capped his career fabricating gravel crushers for Billy Schriock at Gravel Products and tackling complex projects at Central Machine and Pump and Repair, both in Minot, North Dakota.

Ask Jim what he did for a living, and he’d grin and say, “I’m just a welder.” But everyone else knew — he was an artist in steel.

On August 27, 1971, Jim married the love of his life, Linda Bean, at St. Philomena’s Catholic Church in Glenburn. For 54 years, their partnership was built on humor, grit, and shared stubbornness.

Together they raised one perfect daughter, Georgette, and one outstanding granddaughter, SommerLu, of whom he was immensely proud. She shared his love of shooting and his knack for crafting a humorous comeback. They added a son to the family when Georgette married Sheldon Bradley, whom Jim considered a best friend.

In his younger years, Jim and his brother Jerry became prairie legends for their antics — racing Corvettes through town and chasing coyotes from their dad’s J-3 Piper Cub. Jim also carried a lifelong love of the outdoors, hunting elk in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness, ice fishing on Lake Darling and Lake of the Woods, and competing in IHMSA pistol silhouette matches across Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. He shared his passion for shooting with his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, reloading ammo and building custom firearms to keep the family sharp on the range.

Jim also had a deep connection to the land. He served for many years as a Muskego Township officer and was known for planting hundreds of trees each spring — enough to leave a small forest and provide a wildlife preserve as his legacy. He was proud to be recognized with the Renville County Soil Conservation Award for his dedication to protecting and improving the land he loved.

In later years, he spent countless hours caring for those trees, helping his daughter with her garden, shooting targets and solving life’s problems on the back shooting range with Jim Budeau, and holding court at the kitchen table with endless cups of coffee and even more stories.

Jim lived life his way — full throttle, full of purpose, and full of humor. Like Mac Davis sang, “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.”

And if you knew Jim Koetter, you know he’d probably nod, flash that grin, and say, “I did it my way.”

James is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter, Georgette (Sheldon) Bradley; granddaughter, SommerLu (Tyler) Crowell; a great-grand “guppy” yet unnamed; his sisters, Elizabeth Barniville and Carolyn Geigle; brother, Donald Koetter; and his faithful dog, General Henry.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Gerald; and brothers-in-law, Jim Barniville and Sherman Geigle.

Visitation: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 from 4 until 6 pm at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot.

Vigil Prayer Service: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 6 pm in Thompson-Larson Funeral Home Chapel, Minot.

Mass of Christian Burial: Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 2 pm at St. Therese Church of the LIttle Flower, Minot.

Burial: St. Henry’s Catholic Cemetery, Foxholm, ND.

Published by The Minot Daily News, October 10, 2025.