Thomas M. Tuntland

Tom Tuntland, 79, of Mandan, died in his home on December 2, 2024. 

A celebration of his life will be at 11:00am Thursday, December 19 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway in Bismarck, with visitation one hour prior. Private interment Riverview Cemetery, Washburn.

Tom was born in 1945 in Minot to Merv and Connie (Nesset) Tuntland. He grew up primarily around his family’s farm near Coleharbor. He also lived in Fargo while his father worked as a college professor and in Grand Forks when his father, at age 50, decided to get his law degree. 

Tom was a rambunctious child. He proudly told stories of many youthful shenanigans, including stealing a train engine, pushing his sixth-grade teacher’s desk off the fire escape, and setting off dynamite in downtown Garrison, to name a few. To his mother’s dismay, most of the stories were true. Tom spent many hours tormenting and being tormented by his sister Patricia, who he lovingly referred to as a snitch when he told stories of their youth. Tom and Patricia maintained a close relationship into adulthood and spoke almost daily until Patricia’s death in 2021.

Tom graduated from Garrison High School. He enrolled at NDSU but dropped out after attending too few classes and too many fraternity parties. Fully expecting to fail the medical exam, Tom enlisted in the Marine Corps. Unfortunately, his warm body and beating heart satisfied the requirements. Tom went to Vietnamese language school and interrogation training before serving two tours in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969. 

The stories Tom shared about his experiences in Vietnam were mostly lighthearted. Their characters included a pet 26-foot rock python with its village duck best friend, a pet scorpion that escaped when the barracks were bombed, and a mongoose that ate boots but killed cobras. Their plots involved using Marine Corps green spray paint to covertly reassign Army jeeps to the Marines, driving through a typhoon to retrieve a classified communication warning that a typhoon was coming, and a one-ton cast iron hibachi grill that he forgot to have shipped back to the United States. However, Tom carried the gravity of his darker experiences in war throughout his life and the weight became heavier as the years passed. The thought of another generation shouldering the burdens of war affected him deeply when the United States became involved in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After returning stateside, Tom gave college a second try and enrolled at UND. He continued to excel at attending parties but also managed to attend enough classes to earn his journalism degree. Tom then decided to attend law school. Although he was accepted to Harvard and his father offered to pay the tuition, Tom chose to attend the UND School of Law, graduating in 1975. 

Staying in North Dakota proved to be one of the better decisions that Tom ever made because it was during law school that he met his future wife, Michel Deplazes. Tom called home on a June morning in 1977 and said, “We’re getting married at 2.” Michel agreed, so long as “Do you promise to obey?” was left out of their vows. They were married at the courthouse with two witnesses. The Mandan News covered their marriage with a short article titled “Mandan Couple Gets Life Sentence.” Tom and Michel served their sentence. They created a partnership that survived and evolved through more than 47 years of life’s highs, lows, surprises, and challenges.

Tom and Michel had three children, Kirsten, Erika, and Elise. He loved them dearly, and encouraged them to question everything, even after realizing everything included him. Tom supported his kids in pursuing their many interests and made a point of being present for everything he could. He shivered through snowy, windy soccer games and listened intently with closed eyes (he denied napping) during concerts and graduations. His booming voice and laugh made him easy to find in the crowd.

Tom took very few things seriously, least of all himself. One exception was his career as an attorney and his role as an advocate for his clients. Tom started his legal career as an assistant Morton County State’s Attorney and then served as the Morton County State’s Attorney for two years. He transitioned to private practice in 1981 and worked in various partnerships and as a sole practitioner until his retirement in 2017. Tom practiced in several areas, but his favorite work and true calling was criminal defense. He worked hard to get his clients the best results he could and his trial work is legendary. Juries returned many not guilty verdicts in his cases over the years. Tom cared about his clients as people and was always happy to hear about their successes in life.

Tom loved telling stories, both tall and true. His jokes got as many groans as laughs. Tom was an avid local historian and true music lover. He frequently made CDs of his favorite music for family and friends and would always have playlists to send for long road trips. During his retirement, he created and annotated an anthology of hundreds of hours of recordings. He read (or at least owned) every book written about the exploration, settlement, and indigenous history of the Upper Great Plains. 

His love of learning and music continued to the end, and his passions have become a legacy for his children and grandchildren. We will think of him and remember his voice singing along whenever one of his many favorite songs is played. 

Tom is survived by his wife and partner, Michel Deplazes; his children, Kirsten (Kent Leben), Erika (Anthony Mendoza), and Elise (Zack Deaven); grandchildren, Lucy and Sophie Leben, and Oscar, Theo, Bodhi, and Riggs Mendoza; and a host of in-laws, nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and other loving family and friends. Tom was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Richard and William; sister, Patricia; and nephew, David Tuntland.

Tom’s family would like to thank the staff at Home Instead and Hospice Red River Valley, with special thanks to his home health aides whose care allowed Tom to stay in his home as his Parkinson’s progressed. Their kindness provided great comfort to Tom and his family during his final days. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials be given to your local food bank.