Richard Hartze, 66, Bismarck, passed away on August 16, 2026.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, August 27, at Spirit of Life Catholic Church, 801 1st St SE, Mandan, ND. To view the church livestream, click the link provided ~ Richard.

Visitation will held from 5-7 PM on Wednesday, August 26, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 3117 E Century Ave, Bismarck. A Rosary/ Vigil service will be held at 6PM.

Burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck.

Richard Allan Hartze was born March 29, 1960, to Paul and Christine Hartze in Linton, North Dakota. He was the second of six children. He grew up on a farm south of Napoleon. He attended Napoleon school and started playing sports in the 7th grade. He attended basketball camps in the 10th and 11th grade and was a starter on the basketball team.

He graduated in 1978 and went on to Bismarck State College in Bismarck, where he earned an associate degree. He also completed a welding class, calculus class, and CAD program (computer aided design).

While working part-time at the local Best Western Town House as a gaming employee Richard met Patricia Silk his future wife. On May 15, 1987 they were married at the Spirit of Life Church in Mandan, North Dakota. On that day they promised all their tomorrows to each other, with their marriage blessed by God, their faith became the root of their lives. They had two daughters Brittaney and Caitlin completing their family.

After starting Hartze Construction he did many earth grading jobs in Bismarck and the surrounding areas. The rest is our history; he spent the remainder of his life loving his work and building his company until neuropathy impeded his ability to do so.

A highlight of his life was attending the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City; a memory that never faded was the short track competition with Apolo Ohno. He was a season ticket holder for the Dakota Wizards which he enjoyed attending with his daughter Brittaney. He had a strong love for music and singing which turned our home into a place of silly fun as we danced to his songs. His knowledge of music videos and YouTube searches were unending. Richard also loved western movies, long drives, yearly family outings to Medora, fishing, and talking about the Denver Nuggets with son-in-law Ty.

Richard is survived by his wife, Patty (Silk) Hartze; their children and sons-in-law, Brittaney (Chris) Geck and Caitlin (Ty) Austin; grandchildren, Nash Bauer and Rey Ezekiel; sisters and their families: Laure Hartze Turner (deceased husband Ronald Turner), Christie Turner-Larson, Harper, Kylen, and Hailey; Paulette Hartze-Jacobsen, Shannon (Jonathan) Kouba, Graham and Ellie; godchild, Declan Jacobsen; brothers and their families: Duane (Donna) Hartze; Diego and Damien; Gerard Hartze; Greg (Jen) Hartze; Morgan, and Macy.

We cannot leave out special family member, James Robert Neuberger. A constant from the beginning, steady and strong, our pillar of support through the toughest battle of our lifetime. Our family would like to thank Dr. Reynolds at the cancer center, Dr. McGee at oncology at Sanford Health, and the many hospital staff for their part in his cancer journey.

We also extend our deep gratitude to the Hospice team.