Glenn Gilge

Glenn Todd Gilge, 63,  Bismarck, ND passed away unexpectedly from natural causes in his home on Sunday, June 11, 2023. 

A funeral service will be held at 11:30 AM., Wednesday, June 21 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Tuesday, June 20, at Parkway Funeral Service.

Interment with full military honors will be at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, June 21 at The North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Glenn was born on May 24, 1960 in Grand Forks, ND to Hazel & Glenn Fowler, the 12th of 17 children. After a few years in Foster Care living on a Steer Ranch by Jamestown, younger sister Barbara was placed with him and both attended their 1st  years of elementary school. Later, younger sister Donia was also placed with them shortly after her birth. In the summer of 1968, all three were adopted by Norwegian Ranchers & Farmers Verlyn & Carty Gilge, of rural Halliday, who already had two naturally born children, Nora, 18 and Wayne (Butch), 16 years old. Nora passed away tragically of a heart condition only months before the adoption and the Gilge family still went through with the adoption and gave them a stable, loving home, on their ranch where they had horses, cows, pigs, chickens, cats, and a dog named Sam.

All four of the Gilges are now deceased.

Glenn attended Halliday Public School until he graduated in 1978. He was a talented athlete achieving ALL CONFERENCE in football, breaking several North Dakota state speed records in track & field and excelling in basketball on the varsity team. Even though he always took the most difficult classes offered, he stayed on the Honor Roll all four years of high school, all while responsible for doing his chores at home. His chores included milking seven cows by hand and carrying five gallon buckets of water to the animals before and after school. 

Glenn was in the FFA and acted in the plays on the Drama Club, Baptized & Confirmed in Our Saviors Lutheran Church and was a member of the Halliday Saddle Club where he and his palomino mare, Nugget went on many Trail Rides with classmates and friends. Summers were spent working on the Gilge Ranch and many neighbors' places, branding, haying and fixing old cars.

In the fall of 1978, Glenn enlisted in the United States Army where he traveled to many countries like Germany. Many times he sat on the DMZ between North & South Korea in an armored military reconnaissance vehicle scouting, working with radio communications and doing Radio & Electronic Repair. Glenn was a Code Breaker with Top Security Clearance.

After serving 13 years, he was honorably discharged with full military benefit as SSG 3-6 (Staff Sergeant). He was a paid-for-life member of the American Legion, post 001.

Glenn was highly intelligent and brave.

He met his beautiful bride Lee, in Seoul Korea and she blessed him with two sons, Sean, Jason “Bubba” and daughter, Gina. Lee passed away of cancer much too young and his son, Sean, his eldest, is also deceased.

Glenn was also preceded in death by siblings: Julie, Gary, Ronnie, Linda, Connie, Robert, and (possibly) Nancy.

He is survived by siblings: Gayle, Rick, Janey, Alan, Debbie, Mark, Lisa, Barbara, Donia and their families.

Glenn was very kind, fun, and competitive. He liked camping, fishing, and hunting. Sipping suds and playing slot machines. He was very lucky at both gambling and playing things like board or card games…maybe because he was half Norwegian & Irish.

He was slow to anger and quick to forgive. May he rest in eternal peacefulness and in the arms of Jesus. Heaven is getting crowded.