Arland C. Grunseth

Arland C. Grunseth, 86, died October 12, 2017, at the Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, Bismarck. Services will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday October 18, at Faith Lutheran Church, 14th Street and Ave. C, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Tuesday October 17 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. A prayer service will begin at 7:00 pm on Tuesday and visitation will continue for one hour prior to services at the church. Burial will be at the North Dakota Veteran’s Cemetery, Mandan. Arland was born May 11, 1931 in Fargo, ND to Cora J. Grunseth. He was raised and educated in Finley, ND. He attended the University of North Dakota from 1950 to 1954. In 1955 he entered the U.S. Air Force. Arland spent much of his service time away from the United States. During the Korean conflict, and thereafter, Strategic Air Command (SAC) was deploying their bombers and tankers at overseas bases. SAC operations took Arland to Thule Air Base, Greenland; Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska and Anderson Air Base, Guam. Following his honorable discharge in 1958, he returned to UND for one more year, earning a degree in Geology and then entered the business world of heavy construction before beginning his initial employment with the North Dakota State Highway Department in 1961. In 1965, he began working for the ND State Water Commission until his retirement in May, 1996, spending 35 years as a state employee. In recognition of leadership and promoting the cause of water development, Arland received the North Dakota Water Wheel Award in 1979 and joined the ranks of other Commodores in the North Dakota Mythical Navy. He was a member of Faith Lutheran Church and the American Legion Loyd Spetz Post #1, being an active volunteer with the Open Your Heart campaign until his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Arland loved working outdoors at his Lake Isabel home. As a young boy, he was a member of the local boy scout troop. His skills in swimming and his training in lifesaving gave him additional responsibilities during local and out-of-state camping events. He was an avid Green Bay Packers fan. Arland is survived and will be greatly missed by his wife, Dorothy (Schwartz); one daughter, Autumn (Bruce) Roth, Bismarck and their son, Taylor, Bismarck; two sons, Dean (Jeni) Grunseth and their daughters, Mikayla and Makenna, Bismarck, Lindsay (Jeff) Petersen, their daughters, Shelby and Ally, Fort Wayne, IN, and Ashley Swenson, Louisville, Kentucky; son, Reed (Suzanne) Grunseth and their children, Kaylee and Justin, Minnetonka, MN; two nieces, DeeAnn (Richard) Nelson, Aberdeen, SD, Jamie (Dean) Wohlleber of Chattanooga, TN; one aunt, Delores (Roland) Johnson of Finley, ND; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Dale and Pam Schwartz, Mandan, Calista Bahm, Mandan, Duane Fuhrman, Jacksonville, AR, Lois and Richard Lawson, Fort Collins, CO. Arland was preceded in death by his parents; one brother and sister-in-law, James and Marilyn Grunseth; his special uncle, Ervin Grunseth; his father and mother-in-law, Jacob and Bertha Schwartz, sister-in-law, Denise Fuhrman and brother-in-law, Vernon Bahm; The family wishes to thank the kind and caring staff of the Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center for the wonderful care given to Arland.