Richard Erdmann, 93, Dickinson, died Tuesday, August 21, 2012 in Tucson, Ariz. Richard’s funeral service will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, August 30, 2012 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Dickinson, with Rev. Brian Davidson officiating. Interment will follow at Golgotha Cemetery, Golden Valley. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Ladbury Funeral Service, Dickinson and will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Thursday.
Richard, son of Martin and Rosina (Janke) Erdmann, was born August 25, 1918, on his parents’ farm by Golden Valley. He attended country school through 8th grade in Golden Valley. He married Esther Trusskey on May 24, 1941, in the Golgotha Lutheran parsonage in Golden Valley.
As a young boy, Richard helped neighbors with threshing and harvesting and worked as a ranch laborer. When he and Esther were married, they lived and worked on his parent’s farm north of Golden Valley until the fall of 1941 when they moved to Haynes, where Richard worked in the coal mine unloading underground coal cars. In the spring of 1942, they moved to Fargo where Richard took a course in welding. Following that, Richard worked for a time at Klusman Dairy as a farm laborer and at a naval base in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, as a welder. Richard and Esther worked on her Grandpa Schwartzman’s farm and later rented a farm for several years by Zap. Richard also worked at Busch International Harvester in Halliday for one year doing mechanic work. They bought their farm by Werner in 1947. After a few years, they rented out the farm and Richard owned and operated Erdmann’s Garage in Dodge for two years. They then moved permanently to their farm and lived there until retiring to Dickinson in 1983.
As retirees, Richard and Esther helped out with the Senior Citizens as volunteers at Prairie Outpost Park tourist center and museum and Richard also helped make doll cradles. They both also volunteered at the Food Pantry in 1993.
Richard and his brothers had a band as young men, and Richard continued to play the organ, guitar, and accordion throughout most of his adult years. He and Esther enjoyed playing cards with friends and made many trips to Lake Sakakawea to go fishing after they retired. Richard enjoyed working with wood and he created many miniature houses, picture frames, clocks, jewelry, and other art pieces he displayed in his home and shared with his family. In addition, Richard was well known for his “inventions,” including homemade paper clips, frames to protect his loved fruit trees and bushes from those pesky birds, cabinet locks to keep those pesky grandkids out of the cabinets, card holders and game boards, ladders and garden utensils, medical assist appliances, snow removal devices, his own invented recipes, and the list goes on and on. If he could make it himself, he wouldn’t buy it! Richard enjoyed extremely good health (and great hair) for most of his 93 years, never taking any prescription medications on a routine basis; and he could out work and out walk people half his age until he was past 90. He even went on the roof of his house to fix the chimney cap and repainted his entire basement floor when the carpet was ruined in a “flood” in 2010.
Richard is survived by his children Lois (Edward) Senger, Sheyenne, twins Larry (Holly) Erdmann, Moorhead, Minn., and Loretta (William) Uthmann, Tucson, Ariz.; grandchildren Troy (Cindy) Senger, Cando, Matthew (Jessica) Erdmann, Fargo, Samantha Erdmann, Moorhead, Minn., Michelle Aubuchon, Desloge, Mo., Kelsey Day, Columbia, Mo., Danea Day, Park Hills, Ariz.; and great-grandchildren Haylee Senger and Ian Mecey.
Richard was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Esther, and his brothers Henry, Bernard, Sam and Otto Erdmann.
