Daniel Haakenson

Daniel Haakenson, 76, Bismarck, passed away on June 4, 2024.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM, Monday, June 10, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Daniel Thomas Haakenson was born on July 11, 1947 in Minot, ND. He grew up on the family farm in tiny Maxbass, ND and attended school there until 6th grade when he transferred to Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls. Dan graduated from Minot State University in 1980.

Dan was very proud of his 22 years in the National Guard retiring as Lieutenant Colonel in 1994. Dan was brilliant and always thinking of his next entrepreneurial adventure. The Maxbass Mini, a local newspaper, jump started his love for running a business. He and his brother Dave created the content, sometimes having to make it up due to lack of news in the area. He always told the story about how the professors at a ND college used the Mini as a tale of what ‘not’ to do but in the end, the little newspaper had quite a following. 

In the early 80’s he taught computer classes in our garage and continued working on computers through his life developing websites and programming, he started The Coupon Shopper (he was way ahead of his time, think Groupon), Gourmet Gardens, PC Services, Dakota Oak, Inttech, and refurbishing tractors. 

The Gourmet Gardens was a family business and Dan published a book about it called The Small Commercial Garden, How to Make $10,000 in your backyard. The book was featured on Ag Day in 1995 and orders for it poured in prompting him to revise the book for another run.

Dan is survived by his daughters, Becky Haakenson and Julie Walker of Bismarck, granddaughter, Elizabeth Haakenson, sister; Mary Haakenson and brothers John, Bob (Michal Ann), and sisters-in-law, Kathleen Kler & Linda Haakenson. 

He was preceded in death by his children, Marsha and Marlin Haakenson, his parents, Melvin and Esther Haakenson, brothers, Teddy, Phil, and Dave Haakenson and sister, Ethel Thompson as well as his brother-in-law, Larry Thompson.