Bernadette Stokes update:
This morning when I got up, Bernadette was lying on the couch in the living room wide awake. When I said good morning to her she said “Who are you. I don’t know you”. I thought she was just joking with me, but then I realized she was not. Then Novie’s boys came in and she didn’t know them either. The I asked her if she knew our kids, Bernie and Sheryl and she said no. Then I went over and got he her sister Belinda to come in the house and she didn’t know her either, but she remembered her mother and her dad. In about 20 minutes she snapped out of it and started to know people again. It is now 11:15 AM and her mind seems to be OK. That was a very scary situation.
Gary
Happy Birthday Clarice Hackman (DHS ’67): Fargo, ND
Happy Birthday Evon Lagerquist (DHS ’77): Dunseith, ND
Happy birthday Clayton Parrill (’72): Bottineau, ND
Happy Birthday David Schimetz (DHS ’79): Mandan, ND
Posted by Shelley Bowers: Bottineau, ND
WILLIS (BILL) EMMETT BOWERS
(April 18, 1928 – February 15, 2015)
Funeral services for Willis (Bill) Emmett Bowers, age 86 of Bottineau, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday February 20, at the Nero Funeral Home in Bottineau. Lunch will be served at St. Mark’s Fellowship Hall. Burial will be at Turtle Mountain Lutheran Church Cemetery, Souris, North Dakota in the spring. Officiating at the service will be the Reverand David Hayes. Honorary brearers are his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Willis (Bill) Emmett Bowers was born on the family farm north of Dunseith, North Dakota on April 18, 1928, to Frank Claire & Mary Adeline (Amsbaugh) Bowers. He was the youngest of seven siblings. He attended the Ackworth Country School, Dunseith.
On December 21, 1950 he married Shirley Louraine Berge, daughter of Oscar & Alma (Olson) Berge, at the Turtle Mountain Lutheran Church. After marriage they lived on Bill’s home place north of Dunseith. In April 1951 moved to the Andrew Hanson farm, which Oscar & Alma Berge purchased in 1939, and lived there over 60 years, until they entered the Good Samitarian Home in the fall of 2012. They had 3 daughters & 1 son. The farm is now 3rd generation owned by grandson Wade Bowers.
Bill is one of the last of his breed, the family farmer. He also raised beef cattle. He retired from farming in 2009, and kept a few head of cattle to keep busy. While attending a Cub Scout Banquet in Feb 1969 a snow storm came up & they were stranded in Souris. With 2 kids at home alone, he borrowed a snowmobile and began his love of snowmobiling for the next 20 years. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, basketball games, playing cards & cribbage. Many hours were spent playing cards and cribbage with his kids & the Willis’ boys when they were growing up. In later years he enjoyed attending basketball games with Bruce Condit. He enjoyed having people around and would always have a story or a joke to tell you. While in the Good Sam’s Home enjoyed the music & playing Bingo. He will be sadly be missed by all.
Bill passed away on February 15, 2015, at the Good Samaritain Center in Bottineau.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley, three daughters, Shelley Bowers, Judy (Clay) Ramsden, Wendy Liberty & 1 son Robin (Melonie) Bowers. 9 grandchildren, Jason, Curtis (Kristi) & Cole Ramsden, Dustin, Wade (Amber), Matthew & Kelsey Bowers & Donald & Anthony Liberty. 9 great grandchildren, Darian, Chad & Isabelle Ramsden, Nathan, Madison & Kolton Ramsden, and Korban, Kamea & Kage Bowers. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, 5 sisters, 1 brother & their spouses, son-in-law Dale Liberty, 2 nieces, 4 nephews and 1 great nephew.
Gary Stokes’ Comments:
So so sad to hear of Willis’ passing. Willis was born and raised in the Ackworth community and attended the Ackworth country school. The Bowers Families were close family friends in my growing up days. Seldom if ever did Willis, Shirley and their family miss the annual Ackworth Alumni picnic that was held the first Sunday after the 4th of July each year. Following the picnic they most often came to our house for more visiting and camaraderie.
With our trip back to the area in 2013, I visited Willis and Shirley in the Bottineau Good Samaritan Home. I so enjoyed that visit too reminiscing old times.
Willis was a good guy and will most certainly be missed. Our condolences are with his family with his passing.
Gary
Reply to Dennis Dubois (’63)
From Lee Stickland (’64): Dickinson, ND
Don’t recall my having made a comment relative to a 1959 FB game, but if Dennis wants to include my name with his in ANY reference, I am all for it. LEE s 2-13-2015
====================================
Blog (252) posted on October 15, 2008
From Shirley LaRocque Wendt (59):
Shirley, We know this is open heart Surgery. You are in our prays. Gary
So I will be having surgery tomorrow, wedesday, I need to be there at 5:30 in the morning. Please be praying ok thanks talk to you soon..God Bless Shirley
From Sybil Johnson:
Thank you Gary. I truly appreciated your reply about Bernice’s family. Yes, I remember when Uncle Raymond talked about Pancho Villa and how he left Mexico, leading an
army–only he wasn’t with them, they were chasing him. He also called himself “Soldier of Misfortune”. He had many stories to tell. There was a scar on his right leg and
he said that was from a spear going thru his leg in Africa. Another story, that both he and Bernice would tell: Raymond brought home a suitcase full of money and put it
on the floor for the kids to play with. He then took it and buried it somewhere on Grandma’s property. I don’t know how true that was, but it was an intriguing story.
Thanks again, for all the wonderful stories. Even though Augie and I have been divorced some 15 yrs., I still care about the family.
Sybil Johnson
Message/Picture from Dick Johnson (68):
Gary and Friends,
These are pictures of Han’s Johnson’s barn. He and his brother, Axel,
sawed the dimension lumber on their old sawmill and bought the lap
siding and shingles. The top picture is dated 1926 and the writing on
the back says ‘Axel (standing on the wall) and Hans’ . The second
picture is dated 1929, barn was painted red. The last photo is after the
wind tore it down in 1961. It was actually only 35 years old, not that
old for a building. Thanks Gary!
Dick
Picture provide by Neola Kofoid Garbe:
Dunseith High School Class of 1957
| Last | First | Address | City / State / ZIP | Phone | ||
| 1 | Aamodt | Marvin | 512 4th St SE | Rugby, ND 58368 | (701) 776-2301 | No email address |
| 2 | Dailly | Bob/Arline Lamoureux | 30846 Sixth Pl SW | Federal Way, WA 98023 | (253) 839-9036 | arldailly@aol.com |
| 5220 N Us Highway 95 | Parker, AZ 85344 | (928) 667-9268 | ||||
| 3 | Fontaine Volk | Lucille | PO Box188 | Esmond, ND 58332 | (701) 249-3250 | No email address |
| 4 | Haagenson | Margaret | Born Febuary 22, 1939 – Died July 21, 2005 | Deceased | ||
| 5 | Kraft Armentrout | Marlene Rodney | 9344 24th Ave NE | Willow City, ND 58384 | (701) 228-2003 | No email address |
| 6 | Lamoureux | Gerald | 4283 S Via De Febrero | Green Valley, AZ 85614 | (520) 399-1104 | gerrylam@cox.net |
| 7 | Landsverk Fish | Marjorie | 210 Chestnut St | Horicon, WI 53032 | (920) 485-2995 | goldfish@powerweb.net |
| 8 | Lang | DuWayne | PO Box 65466 | Port Ludlow, WA 98365 | (360) 437-2012 | duwaynelang@msn.com |
| 9 | Lilleby | Raynor | 3673 224th Pl SE | Issaquah, WA 98029 | (425) 391-1361 | klilleby@juno.com |
| 10 | Metcalfe | Gary | 594 Catfish Rd | Forsyth, MO 65653 | 417 294 2616; Sue 417 294 2617 | moniesue@yahoo.com |
| 11 | Millang | Curtis | Born October 25, 1939 – Died May 30, 1997 | Deceased | ||
| 12 | Pigeon | Beverly | 3284 92nd St | Rolette, ND 58366 | (701) 244-5448 | Note: This is her brother Ken’s address & phone |
| 13 | Pigeon | Robert | 6506 WHITEOAK RD | COLUMBIA, SC 29206 | (803) 787-9847 | apigeon@sc.rr.com |
| 14 | Spaeth | Jack | Deceased | |||
| 15 | Stickland Mcfadden | Marion | 720 Crestrose Cir | Howard, OH 43028 | (740) 393-1897 | mcfadden@veroom.net |
| 16 | Woodford | Duane | 3101 Allerton Lake Dr | Winston Salem, NC 27106 | (336) 768-1876 | woodford31@aol.com |