Cleve Bunk

Cleve Bunk was born March 13, 1932, in Golden Valley, North Dakota. He faithfully served God, his family and his country until his death on Sept. 16, 2018.  Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am Thursday, September 20, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E. Divide Ave., Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Wednesday, September 19, at Eastgate Funeral Service. Graveside services will be 1:00 pm Thursday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Cleve was a second-generation North Dakotan who grew up on his family's farm. He was the third of four sons born to Fred and Lydia Bunk. Cleve married Agnes Renner on Sept. 2, 1953. The couple lived in Golden Valley before moving to Manhattan, Kansas, where Cleve was stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Riley from 1953 until 1955. After being honorably discharged as a corporal, Cleve moved his family back to Golden Valley. They later lived in Dickinson and Watford City. He and Agnes had three children, and they moved to Bismarck in 1965.Cleve continued to farm on his family's land until 1979. He always loved North Dakota, and he kept the homestead so it could be passed on to future generations. In 1984, Cleve took a job at the North Dakota State Capitol. He served as a custodian for 28 years, including many years working in the Supreme Court wing of the building. Cleve took great care in his work. He was proud to be trusted by the judges, attorneys, clerks and other co-workers who knew and respected him. Cleve taught his family many things, including the virtues of loyalty, fairness, honesty, respect and kindness. He led by example and was an excellent role model for his grandchildren. He often reminded us that everybody, no matter who they are, puts on their pants one leg at a time; it's not easy to concentrate on your work if you are hungry; it sometimes pays to take things slow; it's OK to feed your dog ice cream once in a while; everyone should learn how to drive a stick shift; it's difficult to make a good impression if your boots aren't shined; and you can't expect a vehicle to last very long if you don't change the oil regularly. Cleve enjoyed coffee with cream (no sugar). On Sundays, he preferred steak and potatoes (not seafood). When he led the family in prayer before meals, he almost never waited for everyone to be seated.  He liked tractors, especially if they were John Deere. In his later years, he was always amazed at the technology behind farming equipment. Even though he never said so, he was a little sore that they didn't have global positioning systems guiding the equipment back in his day.  Cleve is survived by his wife, Agnes; his children Terry, Jerry, and Tammy; his grandchildren, Matthew (Jessica), Landon (Hannah), Alex, and Alani; and great-grandchildren Bridger, Aibriella, Hazel, and Axel.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Lydia; his brothers, Roland, Clyde, and Milton; and his beloved dog, Baxter.  Cleve fought hard to stay here with his family as long as he could. He beat cancer much longer than anyone expected. When his time finally came, he was ready to go home. After all, Baxter was getting impatient waiting for him in heaven.