Alton Kemmet

Alton Kemmet, 89, Tappen, died January 1, 2019, at Sanford Health, Bismarck.

Services will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, January 5, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Tappen, with Rev. Gerhardt Juergens officiating.

Visitation will be from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Friday, January 4, at the church, where a prayer service will begin at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service.

Burial is at Fisher Cemetery, Tappen.

Alton Kemmet, son of Jacob and Mary (Stroh) Kemmet, was born on October 7, 1929, on what is now the Bill Hoffer farmstead south of Tappen. In 1936 during the dirty 30s, he moved with his parents to Steele. The venture was short lived, and they returned to farming north of Tappen on land that is still owned by the family. He and his best friend, Clayton Maw, did a lot of exploring on their bicycles during their youth in the area. He attended grade school in Steele and a country school north of Tappen with Henley, Fanta, and Maw kids and others. He graduated from Tappen High School in 1947. In 1949 he moved with his parents to his grandparents, the Jacob Stroh farm south of Tappen, which is now the Spooner farm. On December 23, 1951, he married Gloria Martin and they had two boys, Terry and Craig.   They lived on that farm south of Tappen until 1968. Irrigation was introduced to the area and he thought the water situation was better north of town, so they built a new farmstead 1 ½ miles north of town where he lived until his death.

He loved to fly and many winters were spent either hunting fox with the airplane or with snow planes that were built and maintained by him and other neighbors. He was a pioneer in center pivot irrigation in Kidder County and was the crew chief for setting up many of the pivots in the Tappen area.

Alton suffered numerous strokes and was disabled for several years. Never fully retiring from farming, Alton was always supervising from the edge of the field and ready to help with a tool or anything that was needed. He enjoyed coffee at the Roadhouse every morning and there was a parking spot reserved for him by the door. Alton and Gloria celebrated 67 years of marriage in December. He was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church and a faithful listener of the Sunday service on TV.

Alton is survived by his loving family; his wife, Gloria; his sons, Terry (Marlene) Kemmet, and Craig (Leslie) Kemmet; 11 grandchildren, Kimberly (Bob) Russell, Lindell (Keisha) Kemmet, Kandace Kemmet (Preston Reich), Alan (Amber) Kemmet, Kristine (Chris) Haroldson, Mary (Nate) Doll, Kay (Michael) Todd, Alexander (Jessica) McHenry, Laurel (Dre) Jefferson, Hudson and Hayden McHenry; great-grandchildren, Seth and Jake Kemmet, Jaxon Reich-Kemmet, TJ Haroldson, Dylan, Liam, and Ava Doll, Reagan Kemmet, Ethan, Ellis, and Owen Russell, Jilaeya and Stephon Jefferson, and little Alex McHenry.

Alton said he was ready to go home shortly before his death. May he be rejoicing with his family and friends at his final destination. We thank God for his life and we will miss him. Now he is in God’s hands.