Robert Skarhus

Minot

Robert Skarhus, 72, Minot, passed away at home on Friday, March 27, 2026.

Robert Lee Skarhus was born November 3rd, 1953, to Orville and Ella (Bauch) Skarhus, in Williston, ND. His family moved to Minot in 1956 where his parents raised him along with his older brother Jim.

As a teenager in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he drummed in a handful of local bands that built a modest following in the North Dakota music scene. Upon graduation, like many young people in the 70s, he skipped college and traveled the U.S. with friends, eventually settling in Minnesota, where he met his future wife, Debbie Hemming. They were married in May of 1980 and lived in St. Louis Park, MN, where they welcomed their first son, Justin, that November, followed by their second son, Adam, in 1982. In the fall of 1984, they purchased a home in Crystal, MN, where their daughter Sarah was born in early 1986.

In the early to mid-1980s he worked as an aide at a senior care facility before moving into a career in sales, where his charisma and gift of being able to strike up a conversation with anyone served him well. Starting in telemarketing, he was later hired by a local staffing agency, SSI, where he advanced to Director of Sales by the early 1990s. Later that decade, he and Debbie separated, eventually divorcing in 2001 before he returned to Minot.

Robert drew upon his experience as a senior care aide to care for his mother Ella until her passing in late 2010. During that time, he put his sales experience to work by taking a position at Zimmerman’s Furniture, where he earned multiple awards, culminating with Salesman of the Year honors in 2012, before his retirement the following year.

Following retirement, he remained in Minot, where he deepened old friendships, made many new ones, and enjoyed his lifelong passions of food and cooking for friends and family, music, fashion, interior decoration, gardening, spending time with his children, and, as always, being the life of the party wherever he went.

Robert is survived by his children Justin Skarhus (Minneapolis, MN), Adam Skarhus, (New Hope, MN), Sarah (Skarhus) and her husband Kais Ghajati (Minneapolis, MN), and his brother James Skarhus (Rosemount, MN), along with several nieces and nephews.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents Orville and Ella, his half-siblings Sandy Hiedecker (Glenwood, MN), Glenda Moriarity (Rochester, MN), and Ronald Raddatz (Coos Bay, OR).

Memorial Gathering of Family & Friends: Monday, May 18, from 5-7pm at the Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.

Memories and condolences may be shared at www.thomasfamilyfuneralhome.com.

Published by The Minot Daily News, May 14, 2026.