Melvin E. Beckstrand

Funeral Services for Melvin will be on Monday, November 21, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Warwick Lutheran Church, Warwick, ND with Reverend John Monson. Burial will be in the Warwick Cemetery. Military Honors will be accorded by the Neathery-Simensen Post #756, Devils Lake Veterans of Foreign Wars and the North Dakota Military Funeral Honors Team. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Sunday, November 20th from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. and will continue at the church on Monday at 9:30 a.m. until time of service. Melvin Edward, oldest child of Gust and Selma A. (Magnuson) Beckstrand was born on April 19, 1919 at the family farm, rural Warwick. He was a baptized, confirmed, lifelong member of the Warwick Lutheran Church. He attended the Free Peoples School #29 through the eighth grade, took a year off to help on the family farm, attended St. Mary’s Academy in Devils Lake his freshman year, then attended Warwick Public School and graduated with the class of 1938. He continued his education at a Business School in Chillicothe, Missouri. As a young man, Melvin played center field on the local baseball team and was known as “glue fingers” because any ball hit in his direction, he caught. He also played basketball in high school. Duty called and Melvin enlisted in the United States Navy on December 18, 1941 at Fargo, ND. He proudly served his country during World War II in the Asiatic/Pacific/European/African Middle Eastern Theatre. He served aboard the USS Washington and later on a carrier nicknamed “Kaiser’s Coffin.” He was the recipient of several commendations and medals and received the highest rank an enlisted man could receive. He was honorably discharged on October 22, 1945 with the rank of SKC (Storekeeper Chief). After his discharge, Melvin returned to the Warwick area and continued to farm. He also started buying an unusually large amount of stamps from the Warwick Post Office. That is where he met Marie Anderson who worked there. Love grew and they were united in marriage on November 26, 1947. They established their home on Melvin’s farm in rural Warwick. Melvin worked hard to grow the farm and also always had livestock. In the early years he had over 500 head of sheep and later began cattle ranching with a herd of Hereford cattle. He was still cutting hay at the age of 92. Melvin was very community minded and served on the Warwick Elevator Board, Warwick School Board and as the clerk of the Warwick Township Board well into his 90’s. He was very instrumental in the Bull Sessions in Devils Lake and enjoyed several Navy reunions in various places throughout the United States. He was quite a historian and his knowledge was invaluable to the author Ivan Musicant, in his writing the “Battleship At War”. He was always very active in the Warwick Lutheran Church. Melvin worked hard but he enjoyed many fishing trips to Canada and even one to Alaska. He enjoyed hunting, belonged to a bowling league and he and Marie so enjoyed time with friends every Sunday after church at a local restaurant. In these later years, he kept his mind sharp doing crossword puzzles. Melvin’s passion was farming and ranching, his true love was his family, his commitments were to country, friends and community and his faith was unshakable. He loved life, he loved all the people in his life. He put his heart into everything he did. Melvin’s loving family include his son and daughter-in-law Bradley and Sheryl Beckstrand, Warwick and daughter and son-in-law Sandra and Joe Hersrud, Fargo; grandchildren Calby (Ciarra) Beckstrand, Fargo, Heather (Aaron) Kolschefsky, Drake, ND and Joshua (Lizzie) Fossum, Hurdsfield, ND; great grandchildren Marlee, Jarrett, Lily and Silas; beloved sister Gladys Jacobson, Warwick; sister-in-law Barbara Beckstrand, Finley, ND and many nieces, nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 66 years on May 25, 2014; his brothers John, Bernard and Floyd Beckstrand and sister Thelma Loven.