Edward Charles Aloysius Behrendt

Edward Charles Aloysius Behrendt (aka ACE), 87, passed away peacefully on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020 at St. Vincent’s Nursing Home, Bismarck. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at Church of St. Mary, 806 E Broadway Ave, Bismarck. Guests are asked to follow social distancing guidelines.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck. A rosary/vigil service will begin at 7 p.m.

Burial will be held at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Bismarck.

Ed was born June 7, 1933, in Chicago, Ill., the first-born of Medard and Elizabeth (Koenig) Behrendt. He attended school in Chicago and graduated from Fenwick High School. He went on to college at St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minn. where he met the love of his life, Audrey Faye Rausch, who was attending St. Theresa’s College in Winona. 

After college he enlisted in the US Army, where he served two years. He was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. and Fort Belvoir, Va.  During his time in the army, he married Audrey on July 2, 1955, and they lived at Fort Belvoir until he was discharged.

After his discharge, Ed and Audrey moved to Chicago and started their family.  Ed began a job working at Lamkin Leather supervising the production of golf grips.  In 1960, they moved from Chicago to Bismarck; bringing four children under the age of four. Three more children joined the family after the move to Bismarck.  While in Bismarck, Ed worked as an insurance representative for Guaranty Mutual. He also worked as a production supervisor for Kirschmann Manufacturing which ultimately became Melroe.  Later, he worked for Piper Jaffray & Hopwood where he achieved the title of Vice President, until he retired in 1998.

Ed was an avid sports fan and enthusiastically followed his beloved Chicago teams – Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls.  He loved sharing his Chicago sports stories with his compassionate caretakers at St. Vincent’s. He immensely enjoyed golfing, bowling and fishing with his many friends. Ed was able to achieve many lifetime dreams including; traveling to Scotland to play St. Andrews, attending Superbowl XX in New Orleans to watch his Bears beat the Patriots, traveling to Augusta, Georgia to enjoy the Masters Golf Tournament, and finally to watch his beloved Cubs win the World Series.

He was involved with many civic and religious organizations and gave of his time and talents to St. Anne’s CCD Program, St. Mary’s Carnival, Knights of Columbus, Toastmasters, and the Rausch Classic. Along with a partnership of his golfing buddies, Ed was instrumental in establishing the golf dome in Bismarck.

Above and beyond all of this was his devout Catholic faith. Together with Audrey, they raised their seven children to emulate this faith. One of his great joys was seeing all of his children attend Catholic schools.

Ed is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Audrey; his seven children, Jeanne (Rod) Weigel, Cathy (Alan) Dirk, Mike (Shelly) Behrendt, Lorri (Jim) Nelson, Tommy Behrendt, Barb (Dave) Plum and  Jim (Rochelle) Behrendt; nine grandchildren, Jon (Kayla) Weigel, Audra (Cody) Petersen, Chris (Stacy) Dirk, Brandon (Lindsey) Dirk, Nathan (Maura) Behrendt, Ben (Petra) Behrendt, Katy (Andy) Neibauer, Kylie Behrendt and Brianna Behrendt; eight great-grandchildren, Josh and Hailey Weigel, Gavin Petersen, Svea, Ellie, and Kinsley Dirk and Calvin and Theo Behrendt; brother, Deacon Raymond (Lois) Behrendt; brothers-in-law, Thomas (Twylla) Rausch and Albert Wolf; and many nieces and nephews.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Medard and Elizabeth (Koenig) Behrendt; father and mother-in-law; Anthony and Wilhelmina Rausch; and numerous brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

The family is forever grateful to the staff of St. Vincent’s for their compassionate care of Ed for the past five years.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Ed’s memory may be directed to Light of Christ Catholic Schools in Bismarck.