Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 271284
Title: Arnold G. Koffler
Date: 5/30/1938-7/26/2024
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 5/30/1938
Summary: Arnold Koffler, 86, of Dickinson, ND, found rest on July 26, 2024. A funeral Mass was held August 1, 2024, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church with Fr. Keith Streifel celebrating. Burial was at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Arnold was born May 30, 1938, in Dickinson. The son of Anna (Frenzel) and George Koffler, he grew up on the family farm southeast of Dickinson. As a young adult, he farmed with his father, and in the off season, he worked at his uncle’s (Clemence Frenzel) shoe repair shop in Dickinson. Those two jobs gave him interests and skills that he would use his entire life. On October 18, 1960, he married Margaret Symionow. During their 64-year marriage, they raised three sons, Monte, Marty and Glen, and rejoiced in their grandson, Collin, and great-grandson, Canyon. Arnold loved farming. He raised grains, dairy cattle, range cattle, and over the years, a large variety of other animals. There were the usual pigs, chickens, horses and ponies, cats and dogs, but, at different times over the years, he and Margaret also raised rabbits (LOTS of rabbits!), guinea hens, a few ducks, geese, a few lambs, goats, and miniature horses. Arnold passed his love of animals on to his sons and grandson. Arnold also enjoyed many other interests. Out of necessity, a farmer becomes a jack of all trades. As a woodworker, Arnold repaired and refaced the cabinets of both his and Margaret’s farm home and, when they moved into town, the cabinets of his parents’ home. Working from plans published in a 1973 Popular Mechanics magazine, he built his own pool table. It remains in use to this day. The woodworking skills he learned, his love of animals, and the sewing skills he learned at the shoe repair shop came together beautifully when he began building full-sized wagons and buggies. Over the 30 years of pursuing that hobby, Arnold built more than 14 buggies, but he never got to actually ride in one of his own until he was offered a ride in a wagon that he sold to the Dickinson Press. For many years, Arnold was a drummer in several different polka bands and enjoyed old-time and western music his entire life. He also enjoyed hunting, especially deer hunting, and riding motorcycle. When he and Margaret moved into Dickinson, Arnold continued building buggies and became an avid senior league bowler. Arnold is survived by his wife, Margaret Koffler; his sons, Monte Koffler, of East Grand Forks, MN, and Glen (Stacey) Koffler, of Dickinson; his grandson, Collin (Jade) Koffler; great-grandson, Canyon Koffler, of Thompson Falls, MT; and Nic Johnson (Daniel) and their daughter, Paisley Koffler, who, regardless of blood, are in all the important ways a grandson and great-granddaughter in Arnie and Marge’s hearts. He was preceded in death by his parents, Anna and George Koffler; his son, Marty Koffler; his sister, Jeanette Meier; and his daughter-in-law, Erin Koffler.
Red ID: FND_I_78774 Image ID: 514519 Image Notes: FND001 271284

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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