Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 271008
Title: Dorvan Solberg
Date: 5/20/1934-1/21/2024
Inscription/Marks: 5/20/1934
Summary: Dorvan Solberg passed away peacefully January 21, 2024, surrounded by family. His memorial service was held May 24, 2024, at the Ray Lutheran Church in Ray, ND. He was laid to rest at the Temple Cemetery in Temple, ND. Dorvan was born to Iver and Jennie (Foss) Solberg on May 20, 1934, in Williston, ND, and baptized at Temple Lutheran Church, Temple. He attended school in Ray, playing trumpet in the band and graduated from Ray High School in 1952. He completed a mechanics program at North Dakota State School of Science. As a teenager, his dad thought he spent too much time at the pool hall and suggested he purchase some cattle. Dorvan raised black angus cattle for many years and in later years backgrounded yearling cattle, which was a business venture he continued into his eighties. He worked with his dad in their certified seed potato business. Dorvan held numerous jobs, including deputy officer for the Ray Police Department, oil field roughneck, brand inspector, and substitute rural mail carrier. Dorvan married Eileen Anderson on June 17, 1956, and they raised small grains and ranched outside of Ray, while raising their four daughters. They enjoyed dancing and playing cards, especially pinochle and cribbage. They also enjoyed ski trips to Montana with Bob, Val, Steve, Diane, and friends. Dorvan had a lifelong passion for horses. He raised Quarter Horses, and trained and showed horses in numerous events including halter, performance, and cow cutting, an event he competed in until the age of 86. For over 35 years, Dorvan was a judge for the American Quarter Horse Association, National Cutting Horse Association, and American Paint Horse Association. Dorvan judged numerous horse shows in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In 2014 he was inducted into the North Dakota Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame. In 2020 he was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Following retirement from farming, Dorvan and Eileen spent winters in Arizona, where he continued to ride and show cutting horses. Dorvan and Eileen moved to Touchmark Living Center in Fargo, ND, in October 2022. Dorvan served as chairman of the board of directors for Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative for over 30 years and served in the North Dakota House of Representatives for ten years. He was a member of Ray Lutheran Church, Ray Senior Citizens, and Williams County Farmers Union. Dorvan is survived by his wife of 67 years, Eileen; daughters, Vonnie (Royce) Elker, Mankato, MN, Val (Bob) Bahm, Minot, ND, Diane (Steve) Edwardson, West Fargo, ND, and Gail (Mike) Nelson, Woodbury, MN; grandchildren, Danielle (Ben) Johnson, Eric (Sarah) Elker, and Beret (Kenneth) Holaday; Tyler (Lisa) Bahm, and Zachary (Ashley) Bahm; Olivia Edwardson and Megan (Eric) Johnson; and Alex Nelson and Stephanie Nelson; great-grandchildren, Harper, Kendri, and Rhett Bahm, Conway and Cohen Bahm; sisters-in-law, Barbara (Dan) Delaney and Joyce Perez; and brother-in-law, Dave (Bev) Anderson. Dorvan was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Marilyn.
Red ID: FND_I_78499 Image ID: 596070 Image Notes: FND001 271008

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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