With his beloved wife, Michelle Effertz by his side, Dash Gregory Comford, age 74, died peacefully at CHI St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, ND on May 30, 2026.

A Celebration of his Life will be held at 11:00 am on June 20, 2026 at Eastgate Funeral and Cremation Service located at 3117 E. Century Avenue, Bismarck. He was cremated at his request and a burial of his ashes will be held at a later date.

Dash was the second eldest of four children born to Dash W. and H. Catherine Comford. He was born in Williston, ND on April 4, 1952, and was raised in Wildrose, ND. He graduated from Wildrose High School and attended North Dakota State University before deciding that college life was not for him.

Dash and Michelle were married on June 26, 2014, and lived adjacent to the 18th hole at the Painted Woods Golf Course near Washburn, ND, and spent their winters in Mesa, AZ.

While Dash did some farming, he worked in the Bakken oil field as an operator then sales for Dresser Atlas, and as a Consultant for North Plains Energy and others. He also worked as a realtor in Mesquite, NV. His glib and humorous nature closed a lot of sales, it is suspected sometimes the buyers weren’t even sure what they had bought. He was entrepreneurial in nature resulting in some great investments, others not so much.

Dash loved hunting, mostly deer, as well as golfing, fishing, sports betting and teasing others with his wit and quick mind. Late in life he enjoyed a couple of guided deer hunts in Kansas, proud of his trophy bucks. Nothing got him more excited than a big rack on a buck. When fishing, no matter how small, it was always a “keeper”. He didn’t have a favorite sports team, his favorite was the one he had placed a bet on. He and his Wildrose cohorts were fearless and ingenious when it came to pulling pranks. Their pranks were legendary, with Dash usually at the helm.

It is interesting that Dash was a magnet for little kids. He was a big man, 6’4” and burly. Even with this size, he wasn’t intimidating to the kids. He loved giving them rides on his side by side, and handing out silver dollars and popsicles. You had to be at least 5 years old to qualify for a silver dollar, though.

Dash had special relationships with his father-in-law, Gerald “Pat” Effertz, and stepson Shannon Fagerland from a prior marriage. Dash’s selling a condo in Mesquite to Pat was the only way he would have met Michelle.

Dash is survived by his wife, Michelle Effertz; brother John Comford, West Sun City, AZ; sister Peggy Stromstad (Ron), White Earth Bay, ND; step-son Shannon Fagerland, Fargo, ND; niece Tanya Longoria, Sumner WA; nephews Carson Getzloff, Fargo, ND and Casey Getzloff, Eden Prairie, MN; niece Kendra Stromstad, Oakdale, MN and nephew Dane Stromstad, Sunrise, FL, many other nephews and nieces, and several great-nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dash W. and H. Catherine Comford, brother Steven Comford, and nephew Aaron Comford.