Raymond H. Magstadt

Raymond H. Magstadt went home to be with the Lord on April 19, 2024 at the age of 105. A committal service will be held 10 a.m. Thursday, May 16 at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. 

Following the burial, the family will begin greeting guests at 12 p.m. Thursday, May 16 at St. George’s Episcopalian Church, Bismarck. A memorial service will begin at 1 p.m. at the church

Ray was born August 17, 1918 in a sod house on a farm near Avon, SD to Henry and Pauline (Pudwill) Magstadt. He attended public school in Tripp, SD and received further education at Grand Island Business College in Nebraska. Ray served in the Civilian Conservation Corp at Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills from July 1938 to June 1939. He was employed by the War Department in Washington, D.C. in 1941 until his entry into the U.S. Army in 1942. He completed Basic Training at Camp Wheeler in Georgia. After WWII, Ray was honorably discharged as Acting Post Sergeant Major at Camp Mackall, NC on January 8, 1946. After a few months more with the War Department, he moved to Hot Springs, SD and began employment with the Bureau of Reclamation. In 1948 he transferred to Huron, SD, and also served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1948-52. He met the love of his life, Sylvia L. Salchert in Huron and they were married March 25, 1950 at Grace Episcopal Church. He transferred to Bismarck, ND in 1956. Ray retired in Bismarck on July 30, 1977, after 29 years of employment with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Ray and Sylvia had 48 happy years together until she passed away on November 28, 1998.

He was a member of St. George’s Episcopal Church, American Legion, AMVETS, Elks and National Association of Retired Federal Employees.

Ray was an avid Minnesota Twins fan. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and working on projects with his son, Kevin. He loved spending time with family and friends, and was referred by all who knew him as a true gentleman. He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed. Many thanks to the VA, Dakota Home Care, and his many caregivers that made it possible to live in his home up until death.

Left to cherish his memory are his daughter, Karen Buchholz (Don DiScioscia), Poquoson, VA; son, Kevin Magstadt (Kathy Robinson), Bismarck; granddaughters, Christina (Brad) Yoder, Hampton, VA, and Tiffany (Shawn) Gillispie, Poquoson, VA; great-grandsons, Mason and Kaeden Yoder, and Ryder, Maddex, and Jax Gillispie; two nieces, Judith Hoel and Janet Pettis; five nephews, Rodney and Michael Brady, and Tim, John, and Geoffrey O’Connor; and great-niece, Holly Hoel.

Ray was preceded in death by his wife, Sylvia; his parents; and sisters, Erma Magstadt and Meta (Darrell) Brady, Rapid City, SD.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to St. George's Episcopal Church, Bismarck, or the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.