Oscar Wirta

Oscar Wirta, 87, Bismarck, formerly of Wing, died September 30, 2017, at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, Bismarck. Services will be held at 10:30 am Saturday, October 7, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 412 Mann St, Wing, with Rev. Trish DeBoer officiating. Burial will be held at the Ahola Cemetery, Wing. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Friday, October 6, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E. Divide Ave., Bismarck, where a prayer service will begin at 7:00 pm. Oscar was born November 19, 1929, to Kalle “Charlie” and Helmi (Lehto) Wirta of Wing. He attended school at Wing, ND, Cedar Valley, MN, and graduated from Wing High School in 1947. Oscar worked in the Duluth, MN, area at various jobs until 1949 when he began his career at Great Lakes as a coal passer, fireman and oiler, 3rd assistant Engineer, 2nd assistant engineer, and chief engineer, retiring to Wing in 1985. His ship ports were at Superior, WI, Toledo and Cleveland, OH. Oscar successfully passed his exams at each level to get promoted. His favorite pastime when coming home to Wing during freeze-up was to give his friend, the late Bill Michelson (math teacher in Wing), an engineering problem that would take about 3-4 weeks to get a solution. In the 1960s, Oscar owned and operated the Steamboat Club in Wing for several years. Oscar was a quiet man who enjoyed visiting, golf, hunting, cribbage, dancing, rodeos, and the Green Bay Packers. He was a member of the Wing Lion’s Club, Wing Horse Club, and the BLC Church. Oscar was preceded in death by his parents, Kalle “Charlie” and Helmi Wirta; brother, Walter Wirta; sisters and brothers-in-law, Lempi and Martin Jarvis and Wilma and Ernest Palin; niece and her husband, Verna and Ron Norgren, grandnephew, David Slusher; aunts and uncles, Emil and Vieno Lehto, and Andrew and Lydia Liuska; and cousins, Kenneth Lehto and Sandra Liuska. Oscar is survived by his special friend, Della Koski, Bismarck; nephew, Perry (Robin) Palin, St. Croix Falls, WI; nieces, Carol Palin, Aurora, CO, and Pearl Slusher, Cape Coral, FL; cousins, Marilyn Ryberg, Mandan, and Ellen (Jerry) Liddle, West Fargo, Mary and Helen Liuska, Edmonds, WA, Reino, David (Marcia) Liuska, Wing; and several great-nieces and great-nephews.