Edwin L. Privratsky, 81, of Dickinson, ND died Monday, May 11th, 2015 at Sanford Hospital in Bismarck after a month-long struggle to overcome complications from surgery. Edwin’s Mass of Christian Burial will be on Monday, May 18, 2015 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Dickinson, with Fr. Keith Streifel as the celebrant. Interment will follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Visitation will be from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Ladbury Funeral Service, with a rosary & vigil at 4 p.m. Sunday with Deacon Jerry Volk presiding.
Edwin was born November 14, 1933 in Dickinson to Anton and Cecelia (Splichal) Privratsky. He grew up on a farm south of South Heart and attended school in town. He was no fan of the classroom and just wanted to work, which he did diligently on the home place and nearby farms. He suggested that fishing on the banks of the Heart River possibly provided some of the best life lessons. He laughed uproariously with Laurel & Hardy and tamed the West with Gunsmoke’s Marshall Matt Dillon.
He married Clementine Froehlich from Dickinson on June 6, 1955 at St. Joseph’s Church in Dickinson where he became a long-time parishioner. Together they raised three children.
His work life beyond farming and ranching took him first to Farmers Union in South Heart and Queen City Dairy. Then he moved to the oil industry, starting with Koch Industries in the 1960s and working in the booming Little Knife field in the 70s and 80s. He began as a young oil transport driver, moved to dispatcher, and later on worked as a pumper, meter prover and gauger. “Ed” became a highly regarded district superintendent for Koch over the course of nearly 30 years, working out of Belfield and Killdeer. When Koch sold their stakes in North Dakota in 1994, he stayed in the oil industry and worked for Russ Steier at Dakota Production.
The concept of idle retirement was foreign to Edwin, and so for some 20 years now he worked part-time for car dealers in the area, driving or hauling vehicles between Billings, Minneapolis, Denver, Phoenix and points in between and far beyond. Dan Porter Motors kept him the busiest. Edwin loved the open road and new automobiles. Really, he was a car dealer at heart.
Edwin was a member of the Knights of Columbus and a supporter of the Dickinson Catholic School system. He was an enthusiastic supporter and fan of Trinity High School sports. Until a respectable older age, he beat out younger lads at the free throw line with his characteristic underhanded shooting technique. He once joked he had trained NBA legend Rick Barry.
Edwin is survived by his wife, Clem; son Terry (Mary Kaye) Privratsky, of Luanda, Angola, in southern Africa; daughter Kerry Ann (Matt) Krebs, Dickinson; and son Kelly Privratsky, Dickinson.
Six grandchildren Nicholas Privratsky, Little Rock, Ark.; Anna (Brad) Fogel, Little Rock; Catherine (Ryan) Perry, Hoboken, N.J.; Anthony Privratsky, Little Rock; Jacob (Melissa) Krebs, Omaha, Neb.; and Evan (Tekla) Krebs, Maple Grove, Minn. Edwin has three great-grandchildren, Hank Krebs, Abigail Perry, and Soren Fogel.
Three sisters, Millie (Don) Kudrna, Dickinson; Gladys (Henry) Rambousek, South Heart; Marlene (Stanley) Steffan, Dickinson; five brothers, Laudie (Dorothy) Albany, Ore.; Tony (Jean) McMinnville, Ore.; David (Mary) Maricopa, Ariz.; Victor (Elsie) Lebanon, Ore.; and Jerry (Shirley) New Prague, Minn.; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by an infant brother Donald Privratsky, his parents, his sister Edith and brother-in-law Al Kudrna of Jamestown.
We remember Edwin as a humble, kind, patient, and hard-working man who set the finest example for his children and grandchildren. His children believe he was one of the kindest and gentlest men ever born. He was a man of few words. When he spoke, he did so with purpose and always respectfully. What he said mattered. And, to be sure, he liked his lawn perfect and his cars and work truck spotless. He rode the occasional motorcycle and knew exactly how many fireworks (lots!) made kids happiest. He could draw and build “stuff” with the best.
Dad, we love you. Take care, have a good safe trip, we’ll see you again.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the St. Joseph’s Church Pine Room renovation fund
