Thief River Falls – Rodger Borgen, of Thief River Falls, passed away on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND, at the age of 74.
Rodger Charles Borgen was born on April 23, 1950 in Thief River Falls, the son of Floyd Everett and June Katherine (McCann) Borgen.
After graduating from high school Rodger was married to Ina L. Johnson on October 4, 1970. Together they had one daughter, Rebecca.
On September 7, 1974 Rodger was united in marriage to Patricia Jorgenson, where he became a father to Jon Jorgenson and together the couple had their daughter, Heather.
Along with some coaxing from Rodger, Tim Molstad and Rodger joined the United States Army on February 13, 1976 and were both stationed in Fort Carson, CO. Rodger was a chauffeur in motor transport. He earned a sharpshooter badge with M-16 and hand grenade. While stationed at Fort Carson, Rodger met Matt and JJ, who he quickly became best friends with. Rodger was honorably discharged in 1979.
Rodger and Shirley Nordhagen exchanged wedding vows on May 29, 1982 and made their home in Thief River Falls.
In the early years, Rodger worked with the cab company/truck driving. In 1999 he was employed at the DAC in Thief River Falls, where he enjoyed working with clients and staff. After many years Rodger retired from the DAC in 2019.
Every year Rodger and his brother, Red would take a motorcycle trip, traveling to see the states and Canada. They enjoyed traveling together visiting family that lived in Montana. On one of these bike rides in 2009, he met Jann Cissna, with whom he was immediately smitten. When Red was no longer able to travel, Rodger started going on yearly vacations with his best friends. On these vacations Rodger and Jann became closer and started a special relationship. Since meeting Jann, they enjoyed talking, spending time together, and looking forward to their morning texts.
Rodger is survived by his special friend, Jann Cissna of Newburg, IN; children, Rebecca Borgen of Thief River Falls, Jon (Babs) Jorgenson of Big Lake, and Heather Borgen of Thief River Falls; sister-in-law, Darla Borgen of Bemidji; grandchildren, Dannielle (Josh Hinden) Rausch of Thief River Falls, Branden Rausch of Thief River Falls, Jerzy Jorgenson of Big Lake, Madi Jorgenson of Grand Forks, ND; great-grandchildren, Bryer, Dixie, Sara, Keefer, and Jazilynn; nieces and nephews, Jared (Elspeth) Mostrom-Ose of Bemidji, Courtney (Kevin) Ritterman of Grand Forks, ND, and Nichole (Bill) Lorenz of West Fargo, ND; great-nieces and great-nephews, Jasmine (Greg) Gibson, Emily (Sean) Nouv, Kristen Lorenz, Lucas Lorenz, Lauren (Connor) Clemetson, Jake Ritterman, Ori Thompson, Amber Olson and Brittany Smith; and many other family members and friends.
He was preceded in death by his father, Floyd; and mother, June; sister, Rebecca; and brother, Red.
Military honors will be held at 1 p.m. on October 19, 2024, at the VFW in Thief River Falls.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held immediately following military honors.
Visitation will follow the service and will end at 4:30 p.m.
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