Jeffrey Halvorson

Jeffrey Bruce Halvorson was born December 13, 1954 to Anna "Leslie" (Fish) Halvorson and Orris "Bud" Halvorson in Rolette, ND. He passed away at his home in Bismarck in the early morning of August 7, 2025 surrounded by his family after a short but brutal battle with ALS. He was 70 years old. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, August 22 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck. Family will greet guests one hour prior.

Jeff was raised in Rolette and graduated from Rolette High School in 1973. He played football for the Rolette Comets, but he was known amongst many to have been a part of the basketball team that went to the state tournament in 1973.

Then on a summer night in 1973, Jeff saw Carolee Casavant walking down the sidewalk in Rolette and a spark was lit. They were later married on August 14, 1982 in Rolette. Together they raised two children, Tyler and Sierra, living in Zap, ND and eventually settling in Bismarck in 1985. Jeff held many hats during his life having worked for R & O Contracting and Harlow's buses in Rolette, the Dakota Gasification Plant in Beulah, as maintenance for the Sheraton Hotel and Salvation Army in Bismarck while he was doing correspondence courses to get his electrical degree. He started working at Don's Electric after getting his certificate, and then at Skeels Electric, a job he stayed at for 30 years before retiring in 2020. Jeff was a proud member of the IBEW Local 714 for over 35 years, remaining active until the end.

Due to all of his work experience he was very much a jack of all trades. He had an infinite amount of home improvement projects in the works at all times, when he'd finish one, he'd start on another and when he was nearing completion of that one he'd start all over again. Never one to rely on others, he'd handle everything from designing to carpentry to plumbing to electrical to the finished work . He redesigned their entire house half a dozen times, each time better than the time before. Before his death he stated that one of his biggest regrets was that he had so many more projects that he wanted to get done.

Over the past 20 years Jeff and Carolee discovered their love for travel. They visited many states, always driving, Jeff was not a fan of flying. Through their travels they discovered their love for the Gulf Shore. One beach town in particular, Perdido Key, Florida, captured Jeff and Carolee's heart. They made it a point to travel there as often as they could. Besides the home that they built together, Perdido was truly their happy place.

Jeff loved collecting things. Whether it was knives, pens or some other trinket, sometimes you'd blink and he had another item in the collection. Another thing he loved were his notebooks, he had volumes of them that had everything thing from designs for his next project, maybe a quote he heard on TV, a recipe or the monthly budget. He was meticulous and organized, so all of these things that were mentioned had a place and he knew if it was moved or was missing. Lastly, the man loved his milk. Rarely was there a meal in the house that he didn't have a gallon of milk beside him. Many a dairy farmer were kept in business because of him.

If ever the phrase "Speak softly, yet carry a big stick" applied to a person, that person would be Jeff Halvorson. He was once asked why he doesn't talk much, his answer was simple, "You can't get in trouble if you keep your mouth shut." A man of few words, but an imposing physical figure, he could stop you dead in your tracks with a stare, a clearing of his throat, or just simply entering the room, yet those that really knew him, understood that just below the steel surface sat a big teddy bear.

Jeff is survived by his wife of 43 years, Carolee; son and daughter-in-law, Tyler and Anita Halvorson; daughter and son-in-law, Sierra and Justin Mattern; granddaughters, Kaylie Halvorson, Carissa (Cale) Turner, and Tenleigh Mattern; sisters, Cindy Ostreim and Becky Johnson; brothers, Ole (Susan) Halvorson and Steven (Emerie) Halvorson; brother-in-law, Dale Schneibel; nieces and nephews, Christina Ostreim, Simone (Wayne) Downer, Kendell Ostreim, Leslie Ostreim, Tasha (Chris) Mansfield, Beau Halvorson, Eric (Megan) Johnson, Adra Johnson, Kayla Schneibel (Brian Dreher) and the newest nephew Soren Halvorson; great-nieces, Emma and Alexa Mansfield, Everly Halvorson and Debra Schneibel; aunt, Kathy (Keith) Toney; as well as many sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and so on through marriage to Carolee, that he loved just as much as his own.

Jeff was preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Evelyn Fish and Ole and Inga Halvorson; his parents, Bud and Leslie Halvorson; sister, Debbie Schneibel; and brothers-in-law, Raymond Ostreim and Brian Johnson.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to donate to the ALS Foundation to help find treatment and a cure.