Larry Parizek

Chippewa Falls, Wis.

Larry Niel Parizek, age 77, passed away on Sunday, June 21st, 2025. He was born in Minot on November 20th, 1948 to Joe and Marie (Rogelstad) Parizek. The family has lost touch with almost all of Larry’s relatives, but he likely has many living in the Minot area – so we are sort of reaching out to see who might still be around town.

His father Joe Parizek had one sister, Mary, and 6 brothers; Emil (Amos), Martin (Mike), Charles (Chet), George (Bricks), Frank, and John. Some of these siblings had farms in an area between Deering and Minot, while Joe and Marie had their farm south of Deering.

His mother (Helen) Marie Rogelstad’s family was from an area east of Harvey and north of Manfred. Her father was “Potato” John Rogelstad. There were 3 Rogelstad brothers who left the farm in Hjelmeland, Norway, and settled in that area. In Norway, their names were all variations of “John”, but all three just became “John” in the United States. “Potato” John’s brothers became known as “Bible” John, and “Whiskey” John. “Potato” John and Helena Rogelstad had 16 children; among them Sarah, Anna, Josephine, Hilda, Leonard, Edward, Milford, Esther, Lloyd, and Larry’s mother Helen Marie.

After the untimely death of his father Joe, Marie and Larry moved to the Minneapolis area, where he graduated from Richfield High. Following High School Larry joined the United States Air Force, and made the military his career. He was first deployed to Vietnam – where as a security specialist he stood guard at Cam Rahn Bay, and shared many anecdotes with us upon his return home. Over the years he was again deployed overseas; twice to Germany, and once to Royal Air Force base – Bentwaters, in England. Larry always said his favorite assignment was to his home town of Minot, where he guarded missile silos, before eventually retiring following his final deployment to Cheyenne, Wyoming. He became very active in various VFW and American Legion clubs over the years, holding numerous offices.

Upon his retirement Larry moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where his sister and family were living. Since 2019, Larry had been living at The Wisconsin Veteran’s home in nearby Chippewa Falls, where he received excellent care, for which he and his family have been most grateful.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, and his sister Gloria (Parizek) Thorpe. He is survived by his brother-in-law Rev. Gordon Thorpe, his niece Dr. Amy Jo (Rick) Swenson, their children Nathaniel (Stephanie) Swenson, and Dr. Anja (Dr. Waseem) Touma, and their children Ilia & Iva Amal Touma, and Josef Swenson, his nephew Jon (Dr. Suzette Peltier) Thorpe, and their children Rennesoy Thorpe and Dr. Signe Thorpe.

On Friday, November 7th, at 3:00 PM, Larry will be buried near his parents in Minot’s Rosehill Cemetery, with full Military Honors provided by The American Legion’s William G. Carroll Post #26. Memorials may be directed to Post #26 at 1949 N. Broadway, Minot, ND 58703, or to Zion Lutheran Church where his parents were active members, 1800 Hiawatha St. Minot, ND 58701.

Published by The Minot Daily News, November 3, 2025.