Thief River Falls – Marlow LeRoy Shefstad, 75, died Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 in Thief River Falls.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church in Columbus, N.D. Interment will follow at the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery of Columbus.
He was born on July 27, 1941 in Powers Lake, ND, the son of Clarence and Esther (Running) Shefstad.
He was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbus, ND. He attended Columbus Elementary and graduated from Columbus High School in 1959.
On June 1, 1963, Marlow was united in marriage to Shirley Ann Logelin at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Noonan, N.D. To this union two children were born, Shane Allen and Kristin Dawn.
They made their home in Noonan for the first year then moved to Columbus, N.D. where Marlow went to work for an oil company. In the mid-1960s, Marlow and his brother, Clair, bought the Sportsman’s Bar in Columbus, which they owned and operated for three years.
In 1971, Marlow and Shirley purchased a farm 14 miles south of Columbus, where they raised small grains and Black Angus cattle. Marlow then went to work at Baukol-Noonan Mine for the next 17 years. He started out in the scale house loading the coal into railroad cars and eventually became foreman. After the mine closed, Marlow worked for Burke County Highway Department as a road foreman until retiring in 2003. He continued raising beef cattle until November 2015, when they moved to Thief River Falls, to be near their granddaughters.
Always a hard worker, Marlow consistently held three jobs: farming, ranching and a full-time job with an employer.
Marlow loved farm life and appreciated the simple beauty of the North Dakota prairie. He enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and riding horse. An avid reader, he could be found most evenings with a book in hand. Marlow was known for his good nature and generosity, always quick to lend help to others. Most importantly, he was a family man who always put his wife and family first. Granddaughters Jordan and Peyton were the highlight of his life.
He was a member of the Faith Lutheran Church in Columbus, N.D.
Survivors include his loving wife of 53 years, Shirley, of Thief River Falls; son, Shane (Mandy Giem) Shefstad of Williston, N.D.; daughter, Kristin (Philip) McKenzie of Thief River Falls; grandchildren, Jordan and Peyton; siblings, LaVern (Gail) Shefstad and Nolan Shefstad; and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Walt (Luella), Virgil (Carol), Verena (Curtis) Roloff, and Cleone in infancy.
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