Alfred J. Blatter

Alfred John (Johnny) Blatter passed away February 23, 2019, in Mandan, North Dakota.

Services will be held at 10:30 am Thursday, February 28, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Bismarck.

Alfred was born June 4, 1924, to John and Magdalena (Laib) Blatter on the family farmstead. He was raised and educated in the Regan area. Alfred was a World War II veteran, serving in the U.S. Army from May, 1945, to December, 1946, with the rank of TEC 4. Because German was his first language, he served as an interpreter at a POW camp in Caserta, Italy. He also was the water boy for the Army baseball team and was able to see many wonderful sites in Italy, memories which he never forgot. On November 1, 1953, he married his beautiful girl with the long, dark hair, Darlene Emma Goll, and together they had three children.

Alfred was a farmer for many years. He and Darlene bought their own farm near Wing, ND, and farmed there for several years. In 1963, they sold their farm and the family moved to Bismarck. He worked for McCarney Ford for a short period of time before he began his career as a bread baker with Sweetheart Bakery. He worked that job for 20 years before finally retiring after being in a serious motor vehicle accident which left him with a permanent brain injury. His wife was his caregiver until her passing in June of 2016.

Alfred loved to putter in his garage. He was always working on something. He loved to travel. Many memories were created during the annual family road trip vacations while the kids were growing up. In later years, he and his sons would take a week and go on their annual fishing trip. He also loved his yearly trip to Medora with his daughter. Alfred loved accordion music, especially polkas and waltzes, and he loved to dance.   He liked to play card games and board games, especially with his grandchildren and eventually with his great-granddaughter who he nicknamed “The Boss”. Family was very important to Alfred. He never missed an opportunity to attend his grandchildren’s band concerts, choir concerts, soccer games, and school programs. He loved his wife’s flowers, especially the red ones. He loved nature and animals - horses were always his favorite. Alfred loved to joke around with everyone. He always said that you needed to have a sense of humor because if you don’t have that, what have you got?

He is survived by his son Allen (Sandy); his son Walter (Tammy) and their daughter Allison; his daughter Debby (Randy Schmidt) and her children Angie Glatt and Michael (Amy) Glatt and their daughter Kayleigh; his brother-in-law Leo (Audre) Goll; his brother-in-law Albert Sayler and numerous nieces and nephews.

Alfred was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Darlene; his parents; his parents-in-law Leo and Emma Goll; his brother and sister-in-law Ted and Esther Blatter; his sister and brother-in-law Dorothy Sayler (Frank Forderer); his sister and brother-in-law Lorraine and Bill Graf; and his sister-in-law Arlis Jochim.  

He will be missed forever and remembered always. Auf wiedersehen, Dad.