Sebastian "Sam" R. Lacher

Sebastian Raphael Lacher, 91, Bismarck, ND, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, November 28, 2018.

A service for family and friends will be held at 10:30 am Monday, December 3, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 East Divide Ave, Bismarck, with Pastor Andy Early officiating. Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Sebastian was born November 10, 1927, the fourth of eight children to Anton and Thresia (Schoch) Lacher in Trail City South Dakota. He attended rural elementary schools and graduated from Leola High School in 1945. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1949 from Jamestown College and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of North Dakota in 1979. He met Shirley Ringstrom while at college and they were married on December 29, 1949. Seven children were born to this union. They considered the family unit to be very important and their home was the gathering place for family and relatives. This year will be the 69^th extended family Christmas gathering.

Sam was a math and science teacher, as well as, superintendent of schools in Church’s Ferry and Minto before joining the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction in 1965 as a consultant for math, science and foreign languages. He managed several federal programs during his tenure and was director of federal programs in the division of special educational the time of his retirement in 1991. He continued to work part time in a support capacity until August of 2008. During his tenure with the Department he was active in audiovisual education and served as executive secretary of the North Dakota Educational Broadcasting Council during the time that the educational television broadcasting coverage area was expanded to the western part of the state with the addition of four educational stations and is now known as Prairie Public Broadcasting.

He held membership in a number of professional organizations and served on the board of directors of the Central States Foreign Language Association. For his support of foreign languages, the Foreign Language Association of North Dakota awarded him their Pro Lingua Award.

He also held membership in local organizations including the Knights of Columbus, the Flickertail Woodcarvers Club and was a life member of the Eagles and Elks clubs. In addition to woodcarving he also enjoyed bowling, fishing and giving family or friends a hard time. One of his cherished memories was the time he spent with three of his friends fishing for salmon at the tailrace.

The family attended the Church of St Anne where he ushered for a number of years and was a member of an education committee when a program of religious education was established for public school children.

Sam is survived by his wife, Shirley; his sister, Alice Geffre and brother, Joe Lacher, Aberdeen, SD; his children, Jeanne (David) Doepke, Polson, MT, Thomas (Cheryl) Lacher, Renton, WA, Cheri (Adam) Babich, New Orleans, LA, Kathy Dockter, Mandan, Paul Lacher, Valley City, Margaret (Carl) Laib, Bismarck and John (Bianca) Lacher, Mandan; as well as, 10 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Martin, William, and Frank; two sisters, Helen Heier and Pauline Davis; and his mother and father-in-law, Gertrude and Charles Ringstrom.

In lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Prairie Public Broadcasting, a Parkinson’s association or a non-profit close to your heart, especially those in need this holiday season.