James Harbott, age 78, of West Fargo, ND, formerly of Thief River Falls, died Tuesday, December 31, 2019, in a Moorhead healthcare facility.
The funeral service was held on Friday, January 10, 2020 in St. Andrew Lutheran Church in West Fargo, ND. Burial followed the service at the Fargo National Cemetery in rural Harwood, ND.
James Roger Harbott was born November 19, 1941, at Thief River Falls, the son of Emil and Edith (Geske) Harbott. He grew up on a farm near St. Hilaire, attended school at Thief River Falls, and worked on the family farm. Jim entered the US Army in August of 1959, served in Vietnam, and was honorably discharged in June of 1965.
Jim attended college in Minneapolis and worked as an insurance agent at Thief River Falls. He then became a Veteran’s Service Representative, working in Minneapolis, Forrest Lake and later in Moorhead.
Jim was united in marriage to Patricia Hegland April 27, 1991 at Thief River Falls. They lived in Fargo, ND, until later moving to West Fargo, ND. After working to provide services to disabled veterans in the MN/ND area for 23 years, Jim retired due to his own health.
Jim was a life member of the Moorhead VFW post, a member of the Moorhead American Legion post, of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in West Fargo, ND. He enjoyed Twins baseball, collected scale model cars, and was known to “always have a fast car.”
James is survived by his wife Patricia; a son, Brian (Kim) Casavan, of Alexandria; a stepson, Scott Morris, McLeod, ND; stepdaughter, Shelley (Kerry) Kelleher, Gilford, NH; four grandchildren: Ashley (Nelson) Lee, Laura Casavan, Megan Kelleher, and Marissa Kelleher; three great-grandchildren; and brother Emil, known as Junior, of St. Hilaire. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Arrangments made with West Funeral Home and Life Tribute Center. www.westfuneralhome.com