Dwayne Grotewold

Dwayne Grotewold, age 95, died peacefully on September 24 at Missouri Slope Care Center, where he was a resident since 2018.

A funeral service will be held on October 6, 2020, at 7:00 pm at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Visitation will be held one-hour prior.

Burial will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery on October 7th at 11:00 am.

Dwayne was born on the kitchen table in Beaver Creek, MN to Mary Louise and Leslie Grotewold on June 25, 1925. He was raised in Larchwood, IA.

During WWII, after just turning 18, Dwayne was drafted into the Navy and served on the USS Bull, a high-speed transport. The Bull carried underwater demolition teams (frogmen) to clear a path for many significant invasions in the Pacific. Dwayne was proud to be a part of the invasion of Iwo Jima and was especially proud to have witnessed the raising of the American flag after the invasion.

After the war, Dwayne joined his dad in his Chevrolet dealership in Larchwood, IA. While on a business trip to Minneapolis he met his bride, Marilyn Lee. They were married July 27, 1950. They became the proud parents of Susan and Keith.

Dwayne’s biggest passion in life was cars. While working for his dad, he realized the importance of the Corvette sports car, which was introduced in 1953. He became the largest dealer of Corvettes in the region. In 1958, he bought his own Chevrolet dealership in Le Mars, IA where he continued successfully promoting and selling Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles and many Corvettes.

As a car dealer, you have a philosophy that everything is for sale, including your business. In 1969, Grotewold Chevytown in Le Mars was sold. Dwayne took a completely different path from the car business and in 1970, Dwayne and Marilyn and family moved to Bismarck and opened Hatch’s Hallmark in Kirkwood Mall. Fifty years later, the family owned business is still operating and is now known as Lee’s Hallmark. Dwayne never fully retired, he remained active with office duties relating to the business until moving to Missouri Slope. He also enjoyed the many friends he made over the years in various car dealerships in town; most afternoons he would stop by to talk cars with his friends.

Dwayne is survived by his wife of 70 years, Marilyn; daughter Susan (Carl) Hendershott, Fargo; son Keith (Diane), Bismarck; brother Roger (Gayl), Lake Arrowhead, CA; sister-in-law Lois, Chandler, AZ and several nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother Dwight; sisters-in-law Charlotte and Betty Grotewold and brother-in-law Ron Lee.

The family would like to thank all the dedicated staff at Missouri Slope for the wonderful care they provided to Dwayne over the past several years.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church or a charity of your choice.