Ernest Raszler Obituary

To view a recording of the service access https://www.mtmsales.net/thomas
To view the flowers and plants from Ernie's service, click here: Ernie Raszler Flowers
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Ernie knew the semi was coming; Jim laying on the horn and Marcia riding shotgun. They picked Ernie up and took him to the arms of the Lord, while surrounded by his loving family.
Ernie was born September 6, 1937, in Beulah, ND to John and Rosina (Schnaidt) Raszler. He attended school in Beulah and country school like most farm kids in Linton Township of Ward County through eighth grade. As a young man, he assisted his family with the operation of the farm located near Ryder.
Ernie was united in marriage to Marcia Hanson on September 25, 1960. They made a life on the farm in Linton Township with their three sons Ken, James and Dwight. They farmed small grains and ranched for more than half a century. In 1985, they moved to Minot, but he remained faithful to the farm his entire life, retiring in 2008.
Marcia passed away on July 13, 2019.
Ernie was a faithful member of Rose Valley Lutheran Church in Des Lacs, serving on the church council. He enjoyed reading and the fruits of an honest day's work. Ernie was often found honing his mechanical skills on a tractor or a vehicle paired with a visit with a neighbor on the farm.
Let's take a walk down memory lane and learn a little about Ernie: Dad's parents came from South Russia, moving into the Beulah area. When he was twelve his family, two brothers and six sisters moved to Ryder. This was his introduction to the Rose Valley Lutheran Church.
Dad may have had an eighth-grade education, but he was a genius with numbers, balancing his checkbook faster than we could with a calculator.
Working beside his dad taught him how to work hard every day.
When he married mom at Rose Valley they took over the family farmstead and this made for a large family: dad's eight siblings and mom's eight siblings. Later when they had family gatherings, sixteen siblings plus all the kids made for interesting times! This family counted smiles not the years. Dad's siblings are gone now, but mom's side of the family still to this day try to get together no matter the miles. Strong family ties – come for the fun and memories to last a lifetime.
Dad worked hard to provide for his family, with mom by his side, farming and livestock. We all knew that the days were long and rough and there were not enough hours in a day at times. Lots of work done with a team of horses and three boys to help – well sort of, sometimes there was more mischief than work.
When they got their first tractor, a Case IH, what a difference that made. It cut their workload in half which made the horses very happy and Dad too! It didn't, however, shorten the hours for the day. He worked hard for the family he loved.
Sundays were special for him, he knew he could relax at Rose Valley, with the Lord on one side, his family on the other and the church filled with relatives and friends.
When they moved to Minot, dad still worked with other farmers in the area, this was his way of life. He loved the farming seasons: spring planting, summer haying and fall harvest. Takes a special kind of person to understand the love of the land.
Back when neighbors helped neighbors, it was because they wanted to! Dad would help his friends and neighbors in any way he could. He most likely would lend his tools to anyone. He would always help you out and the only thing you would owe him was a cup of coffee after the work was done.
Dad had many friendships in his life, some a lifetime and some short. He could visit with anyone and never forgot a first name or face. He would visit and actually listen to what you were saying. He'd try to solve the problem of the day. He'd either tell you it might work or no way that's not how to solve the mess.
Whatever the season, whatever the time, dad was there to help.
As it is said: On the eighth day God made a farmer to provide for his family and the world. God didn't intend for the farmers to work themselves to death. But our older generation of farmers worked hard in their early years. When they got older the body started to wear out. This is what happened with dad, things were wearing out and he was tired. He was proud to be a farmer and loved his way of life! Dad loved his church - family and friends.
Ernie is survived by his sons Kenneth Raszler, Ryder, ND and Dwight (Deborah) Raszler, Des Lacs, ND; grandson Clint (Ashley) Ellis; special granddaughters, Amber and Crystal Johnson; grandchildren, Alex, Levon & Nikenna; special great grandchildren, Donta, Brody, Isaiah, Kason & Nora, Owen, Samuel, Landon & Aspen, Peyton, Brooke & Junior; in-laws Kent (Jill) Hanson, Des Lacs, Klint (Nancy) Hanson, Berthold, Keith (Linda) Hanson, Minot, Jeanne Hanson, Minot, Paul Brandvold, Ryder, Kelvin (Claudia) Hanson, Minden, NV, Marlene (Don) Weikert, Buckley, WA and Marian (Mark) Spurling, Bonney Lake, WA along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Ernie was preceded in death by his parents, wife Marcia, son James, sisters Bertha Shipmann, Frieda Aipperspach, Alice Guttormson, Caroline Raszler, Irene Richau and Pauline Richau, infant brother Samuel, brothers Jacob and Carl, brother-in-law Kurt Hanson and sister-in-law Marcella Brandvold.
Dad took his sense of humor with him and left behind many laughs. Jim made the trip to Heaven, in his usual way, with the hammer down!
Celebration of Ernie Raszler's Life: 10:00 a.m. Monday, July 14, 2025, at Rose Valley Lutheran Church, Rural Des Lacs, ND. To view a recording of the service access https://www.mtmsales.net/thomas
Interment: Rose Valley Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Des Lacs, ND
Visitation: Sunday, July 13th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot
In lieu of flowers and plants memorials are preferred to Rose Valley Lutheran Church.
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Ernest 'Ernie' Raszler, please click here to visit our sympathy store.