Gary Mourhess

Gary Mourhess, 72, Bismarck, passed away unexpectedly at home on April 2, 2018. Services will be held at 10:30 am Friday, April 6, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at Parkway Funeral Service. Burial will be at 1:00 pm Friday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Gary Lee was born May 5, 1945, in Loma Linda, CA, the son of Roy Nelson and Ruth (Schutz) Mourhess. He grew to manhood in Corning, NY. Gary participated in Scouts and was a member of the drum section of the Seneca Chiefs Drum and Bugle Corps that participated in numerous events across the state of New York. He entered the U.S. Army on September 1962, serving in Vietnam, Germany, and France. Gary worked in the Signal Corps in Vietnam and as a data processing programmer in France, serving for a total of three years. Following his release from the service, he worked at the American Lung Association in North Dakota until 1966 when he started his employment with the State of North Dakota in the Information Technology Department. He retired from ITD on April 1, 2002. Gary married Judith “Judy” Pfeifle on September 2, 1967, in Napoleon, ND. Their son Scott was born on May 20, 1969. The family enjoyed activities such as Tae Kwon Do, where Gary reached Black Belt status, roller skating at the former Wheel-A-while, where Gary served as a floor guard, Nishu Bowmen Archery, Corvette of Dakota Territory club, the Missouri Valley Fly Fishers and Dakota Fly Fishers. He continued to enjoy traveling, sporting events, playing guitar, was an avid reader, fly tying, camping at Patterson Lake in Manitoba, Canada, across the upper Midwest, and spending time with their son and his family. Those left to mourn his passing include his wife, Judy; his son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Kari and two grandchildren, Gage and Graycen of Lino Lakes, MN; younger brothers, Joseph in Thailand and Bruce (Kathleen), Waverly, NY; his sister, Kathy (Lynn) Woodall, Mandan; brother-in-law, Rod (Lois) Pfeifle, Rapid City, SD; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Edwin and Esther Pfeifle.