Orvin Engelhard

Orvin Engelhard, 91, passed away surrounded by his four children and other family on May 31, 2023. He was ready to see God and be reunited with his loving wife of 66 years, Bernadette.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 AM, Tuesday, June 6, at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 1919 N 2^nd St, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 4:00-6:00 PM, Monday, June 5, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E Divide Ave, Bismarck. A rosary/vigil will begin at 6:00 PM.

Burial will be held at 1:00 PM, Tuesday, June 6, at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Orvin was born at home on the farm near Carpio, ND, on Dec. 26, 1931, to Eugene and Lena (Eckert) Engelhard. He was the third of six children. He lived on this farm until the fall of 1936.

In 1936, the closing of Lake Darling Dam necessitated a move, and the family relocated to a farm near Glenburn, ND. He attended school there, willingly missing many days of school to assist with spring work, harvest, hauling hay, grinding feed for the hogs, or whatever else. He loved farm work. He graduated from Glenburn High School in 1949, and farmed with his father until entering the service in June 1952 during the Korean War.

He served in the US Army Infantry, receiving Basic Training at Fort Riley, Kansas. He served overseas near Sendai, Japan for a brief period, with G Co., 21^st Infantry Regiment, 24^th Infantry Division. The unit was then transferred back to Korea where he served the remainder of his time, reaching the rank of Sergeant. He returned home in June of 1954. In April 2023, Orvin was able to participate in the Western ND Honor Flight. He felt very grateful for this honor.

On July 22, 1954, he married “the girl he left behind,” Bernadette (Bernie) Hamilton, at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Minot, ND. Bernie was the daughter of Bernard and Alice Hamilton of Minot, formerly of Bottineau, ND.

In the fall of 1954, they were offered a farm to rent near Glenburn and they began farming, which they did through 1961 when the land was sold. In 1962, he began employment with the Truck Regulatory Division of the ND State Highway Department in Minot. In 1964, he was transferred to Petersburg, ND, because of the heavy workload in that area, due to construction of the ICBM Missile Sites.

In 1965 he was transferred to the Bismarck District and promoted to District Supervisor. In 1978 he was transferred to the Central Office in Bismarck and assigned to manage the oversize/overweight permit section, and later the Interstate Motor Carrier Section, which included licensing, fuel taxes and operating authority of those carriers. In 1982 those duties were placed under the Motor Vehicle Division. He transferred to MV and continued to manage the program.

He served on several national committees regarding Administrative and Motor Carrier issues with this work. He always thought he had the best and most dedicated staff of any similar programs in the nation, and after attending national meetings or visiting similar offices in other states, he was convinced of that. They strived to give the best and most knowledgeable customer service possible.

He retired December 31, 1994, after nearly 33 years of this work. In retirement he really enjoyed going to his daughter and son-in-law’s (Lori and Hal Sathre) farm to help (or maybe hinder) with farm work. It enabled him to relax and go back to his roots, as farming was always his first interest. It was recreation for him. He also enjoyed a bit of fishing. A good day of fishing to him was warm temperatures, no wind, and if the fish didn’t bite, that was just fine. Just relax and enjoy nature. He also took pride in the appearance of his house and lawn, and spent many hours keeping the lawn the neatest and greenest possible. He and the squirrels also kept each other busy trying to outwit one another. It was still undetermined who the winner of that game was, but he had fun at it.

He was always proud of his wife and their children, and the values they adopted, including faith, hard dependable work, honesty, integrity, and also their achievements. His wife stayed home to be there for the children and they learned very well in school, besides working and saving to pay their own way through college.

He is survived by his children, Kathy (Greg) Hoovestol, Fargo; Deborah (Lynn) Best, Bismarck; Lori Sathre, Tuttle; and Brian (Caroline) Engelhard, Valley City, ND; 11 grandchildren, Cassie (John Paul) Klein, Keri (Brandyn) Ehlis, Kelsey Hoovestol, Joe Best, Steve (Ari) Best, Kristy (Eric) Tarnow, Adam Sathre, Sara Sathre, Wayne (Samantha) Engelhard, Kayla (Landon) Freitas, and Casey Engelhard; 14 great-grandchildren with another on the way; brother, Dennis (Debbie) Engelhard, Salem, OR; sister, Evelyn Smith, Chapel Hill, NC; and numerous nephews and nieces.

Orvin was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 67 years, Bernadette, who passed away of Alzheimer’s on May 13, 2021; son-in-law, Hal Sathre; his parents; sister and brother-in-law, Anita and Clarence Bloms; brothers and sisters-in-law, Mert and Vonnie Engelhard and Alvin and Ardy Engelhard; a niece, Melanie Smith and a nephew, Kelly Bloms.

After Bernadette’s passing, Orvin learned to bake and was well known for his delicious cakes, bars, pies and breads.

Orvin was a faithful member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bismarck since its beginning, the American Legion, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the North Dakota Peace Officers Association.

Orvin will be remembered for his loyalty, kindness, quick-witted humor, beautiful flowers and his vegetable garden. He was loved by all and lived a quiet and simple life. He was always up for a visit with family and friends, especially with his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. Orvin enjoyed observing all nature, especially God’s beautiful sunrises and sunsets. He was a faithful servant until the end to God, his country and his family.