James Meisner

James W. Meisner, 90, was born in Bismarck on November 11, 1929 to John and Alice Meisner and died peacefully on January 27, 2020. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck.

He worked as a bricklayer in his teens, and attended Bismarck High School and NDSU before earning a Master’s degree in Building Engineering and Construction from MIT in 1953.   After serving in the Navy during the Korean War, he returned home to Bismarck to continue his family’s legacy in the construction business.  The highlight of Jim’s career in construction was working with Marcel Breuer, an internationally-known architect, to build the priory at Mary College.

Jim valued learning and spent much of his free time reading and collecting books.  He especially loved history, poetry, and mysteries, and his favorite book was Snow-Bound by John Greenleaf Whittier. Jim showered his family with an assortment of interesting learning experiences and ensured that his wife, son, and daughter were all able to earn Master’s degrees in their chosen fields.

Jim was a member of Lion’s Club for 64 years and enjoyed the fellowship of their Monday lunch meetings.

His family and friends will greatly miss his reliably calm, steady presence, his wisdom and kindness, and his wonderful sense of humor.

Jim leaves his wife of 64 years, Dolores; his daughter Terry of Annapolis, his son John (Judy) of Minneapolis, his grandson Carl of Minneapolis, his granddaughter Anne of Montreal, and his sisters Janice Schultz of Bismarck and Laurie Baranko (Ron) of Mesa, AZ.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to either the Bismarck Library Foundation, Inc., 515 N. 5^th Street, Bismarck, ND 58501, or the Central Dakota Humane Society, 2104 37^th Street, Mandan, ND 58554