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Kjelland, age 82, of Valley City, ND, died Saturday, May 16th at the Jamestown Regional Hospital. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 1:00 PM Thursday, May 21st at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Valley City. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the Lerud Schuldt Funeral Home and one hour before the mass at the church on Thursday. A prayer service will be held at 7:00 PM Wednesday evening at the funeral home. Interment will be in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery near Sanborn, ND.
Curtis Thomas Kjelland was born May 16, 1933, on the family farm in Green Township in Barnes County to Benjamin and Laura (Krueslich) Kjelland. He grew up on the family farm. He attended grade school at the Hobart one-room school and graduated from College High in Valley City in 1951, where he played basketball and football. Curtis married Genevieve “Ginger” Schwehr on September 28, 1953 in Sanborn. They moved to Valley City where he worked for R&G Auto Supply. He became the parts manager at Farmotors, which sold Case farm equipment and American Motors cars. He rebuilt the department following a fire that leveled the business. In 1974, Curt and his family moved to Mandan, ND, where he was the parts manager for Fleck Toyota/Mercedes-Benz. Upon retirement, Curt and Ginger moved back to Valley City. During his life, Curtis had a keen interest in nature, which led him to becoming a taxidermist. He also enjoyed scale model trains, airshows, and trips to visit family, including taking Amtrak to Portland and Seattle, as well as driving to Arizona. He loved getting together with his brothers back on the family farm. Curt was a master gardener and he and Ginger maintained an extensive garden. They took pride in maintaining a well-groomed yard at their home in Mandan.
He is survived by his wife, Ginger, and his children, Tom (Nichola), Valley City, Jerry (Sherry), West Fargo, and Robert (Maria), Milliken, CO; brother Arnold, Banks, OR, and sister Betty Bostrom, Valley City; grandchildren Leonard “L.C.” Kjelland, Ben Kjelland, Katelyn Kjelland, Justin Kjelland, Kyle Kjelland, Alex Kjelland, Amanda (Eric) Magnuson, Elysse (Dan) Beeson, and Chelsey Kjelland; and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Lawrence, Clayton, Carson, and Allan.
Funeral arrangements by the Lerud Schuldt Funeral Home of Valley City. Online guestbook available at www.lerudschuldt.com.