Alvin A. Chalupnik, 77, Dickinson, passed away on Monday April 10, 2023 at CHI St. Alexius Dickinson. Alvin’s Traditional Catholic Latin Requiem Mass will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 22, 2023 at Our Lady of Good Success, Dickinson with Fr. Dominic May as celebrant. Military Honors will be provided by the Dickinson American Legion Post 3 Honor Guard. Interment will take place at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Dickinson. Visitation will be on Friday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ladbury Funeral Service, Dickinson with a rosary at 7 p.m.
Alvin Albert Chalupnik was born on February 2, 1946 to Albert and Emma (Sadowsky) Chalupnik of New Hradec. He lived there, helping on their wheat, corn and cattle farm until they moved to Dickinson in the early 70’s.
Alvin loved everything about farming and farm life, especially working with his dad and grandfather. His joy was abruptly halted when the Vietnam War required more soldiers in 1965. He and his dad went immediately to Bismarck to sign up for the National Guard. This started a six year stint in the Guard during which he was at a number of military bases on the West and the East Coast. He had memories of those service days that he reminisced about: some platoon leaders were very serious and down to business, some with health problems affecting all of them, bent on whipping them into shape with no let up. Others were friendly and offered fun periods of respite, making the experience more enjoyable. During the military years, Alvin, being a farm kid, was put on “Road Building” detail. He got to operate an earth mover machine while building roads in Virginia and other big equipment, like the grader. Alvin said if he could have operated big equipment the rest of his life, he would have been perfectly happy, but that’s not how it turned out.
When he got out of the service, his parents had moved to town. His dad was working construction, and Alvin started working for the Dickinson Public School System in the Central Office. That took up a happy 20 years more years of his life. At that point, he was offered 20 more years of custodial work at Roosevelt Elementary School. In 2011, he discovered he had a heart problem and was in the hospital to receive a pacemaker. During his recovery, he realized that he’d have to retire from his 40 year employment at Dickinson Public Schools. Now, he could enjoy reading and taking care of his elderly mother. They treasured this time together, with their little loveable dog. His mother didn’t drive, so Alvin would take her to wherever she wanted to go until her passing in 2003.
He enjoyed reading two newspapers everyday and watching some shows on RFD-TV. In 2015, he met Mary Springer and two and half years later they were married on May 6, 2017.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Emma; close friend, Bill Franchuk; both sets of grandparents; step-daughter, Kimberly Massey; and cousin-in-law, Gerald Imus.
Alvin is survived by his wife, Mary; step-children, Kevin (Elisabeth) Springer, Christopher D. Springer and Clarence Massey; six step-grandchildren; first cousins, Mary Ann Imus, David (MaryKay) Dvorak and Marietta (Gardner) Polanchek; and Aunt Mary Chalupnik Wells.
