Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 01901
Title: Earl W. Affolter
Date: 1946 - 2008
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 10/31/1946
Summary: Earl Wesley Affolter, 61, passed away from a sudden, unexpected illness, on September 9, 2008, at MeritCare Hospital, Fargo. Services were held Friday, September 19, at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Earl was born October 31, 1946, in Hazen, ND, to Charles and Geneva (Burwick) Affolter. He was raised in the Hazen area and graduated from Hazen High School. From there, he attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. During his visits back home, he met his future wife, Gayle Redka. He enlisted in the Air Force in July 1969, and was stationed at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. On February 20, 1971, he married Gayle Redka. During his time at Homestead AFB, during the Vietnam War, he worked with the families of the soldiers listed as "POW" or "MIA." Also during that time, in Florida in 1973, they had their daughter, Rebecca Gayle. After his service in the military, Earl and his family moved to Aberdeen, SD, where Earl worked for his sister, Charlotte (Affolter) Liebelt, and her husband, John Liebelt. After several years in Aberdeen, Earl and his family relocated to Stanton, ND. Once in Stanton, Earl started working at the Basin Electric Leland Olds Station. He and Gayle had a son, Charles Earl, born in 1978. Earl continued working at Leland Olds Station and retired early, as a mechanical supervisor, in 2005, just before his wife's battle with cancer came to a close, in February 2006. After his wife's death in February 2006, Earl started working with Danny Bakken, for the Millwrights Local 1091. Working as a team, they traveled to and worked at various locations throughout the United States. At his last job, he was working for US Pipeline, in Corning, NY, as an assistant supervisor with Danny. He unexpectedly fell ill at work, went unconscious,and never regained consciousness. He was later found to have had brain cancer. The wonderful generosity of US Pipeline and the people there will never be forgotten. They raised money to help bring Earl home to North Dakota, on a medical flight, so that he could pass away with his family present at his bedside. Seeing his mother's gentle hand cup his cheek and heart as he passed away is a memory that will be priceless to this family. A very special thank you to Danny (Earl's best friend) and Diane Bakken. Over the past couple of years, Danny brought to Earl the wonderful gifts of laughter and friendship - two things that weren't quite the same after his wife's passing. There aren't enough words to thank Danny for the joy he brought back into Earl's life. Earl will be greatly missed by his family and friends. God gifted him with talented hands that could build or repair anything, from a multi-million dollar piece of equipment at work, to the smallest toy for his grandchild. He took pride in a job well done, and in everything he did. His generosity to friends, family, and organizations was without limits. Earl is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Rebecca and Duffy Froemke, Lisbon; his son and daughter-in-law, Charles and Angela, Hazen; 6 grandchildren, Steven and Sierra Froemke, Lisbon; and Jonathan, Jaydn, Joshua, and James Affolter, Hazen; his mother, Geneva Affolter Nelsen, Bismarck; his brother, Dean Affolter, Mandan; his sister, Charlotte Liebelt, Aberdeen, SD; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Charles J. Affolter; his wife, Gayle Affolter; and his step-father, Mark Nelsen.
Red ID: FND_I_61915 Image ID: 513286 Image Notes: FND001 01901

Collection: FND001 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Date: -

Summary: The North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program is sponsored by the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association. The life stories of deceased North Dakotans are featured in an archvied collection. Current partners in the project are Eastgate Funeral & Cremation Services, Bismarck Evans Funeral Homes, Carrington and New Rockford Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home, Williston Fulkerson Funeral Home, Tioga Fulkerson Funeral Home, Watford City Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home, Williston Nero Funeral Home, Bottineau Parkway Funeral Service, Bismarck Springan Stevenson Funeral Home, Stanley Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson These funeral homes provide recent obituaries to the Foundation, where staff and volunteers format, edit and archive each memorial. The memorials are posted, and copies are sent to the family for their input and approval. The listing currently features more than 13,000 memorials, and is constantly updated as new memorials and histories are received.

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