Edwin L. Goeser

Edwin Leo Goeser, 95, of Devils Lake ND, formerly of Calio, ND, and Munich ND, passed away on Sunday, May 22, 2022 in the loving care of his family and Hospice.

Mass of Christian Burial for Edwin will be held on Friday, June 3^rd, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Devils Lake, ND with Reverend Steven Wirth celebrating the Mass with Military Honors and fellowship following the Mass. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Thursday, June 2^nd from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary and Scripture Service at 7:00 p.m. Burial at St. Boniface Cemetery, rural Calio on Friday, June 3^rd.

On the 13^th of July 1926 at Calio, North Dakota, a son, Edwin Leo was born to John and Anna (Wengeler) Goeser.  He and his two brothers and four sisters grew up on a 1500 acre farm.  They attended a country school at Trier Township and enjoyed the country life, especially the Saturday night dances. 

November 1950, Edwin was drafted into the Army first going to Fort Hood, Texas, and then spending two months at Fort Sam Houston, Texas at the Medical School.  He was made a Corporal before sailing for Germany in July 1951 to be attached to the 48^th Armored Medical Battalion – B Company, 2^nd Armored Division, better known as “Hell on Wheels”

Edwin took several memorable trips while overseas to Holland and Italy.  His favorite spots were Rome, Isle of Capri, Florence, Sorento, “Ruins of Pompeii”, and the Italian and Bavarian Alps.  While in Rome, Edwin was in an audience to see Pope Pius XII. He returned to the States and was discharged in November 1952.

Edwin returned to the farm in North Dakota but decided the Anaconda Copper Mining Smelters in Montana might be interesting, so he spent fourteen months there.  After returning to the farm for the summer, Edwin decided he would go to Fargo, North Dakota to the Mechanical Trade School.

In 1955 Edwin started to work at the International Paper Company, Minneapolis, MN as an Assistant Maintenance man. July 6, 1957 “Romance” struck and he and Iona Evans (who worked in the Gluing Department) were married. 

On October 4, 1957, Edwin and Iona left the International Paper Company for Calio, ND where they ran the family farm.  He farmed until the spring of 1980 when he started working for Schuler Hardware and John Deere Implement in Munich, ND where he stayed until they quit the business in 2004.  After Schuler’s Hardware closed, he worked with his son and grandson on the farm until the fall of 2020. They moved into Munich in 1982 and lived there until 2018 when they moved to Devils Lake.

He was a member of the Knights of Columbus for 74 years.  He was President of the Munich Club for 1 year, a 3^rd Degree Knight and Lifetime Honorary KC member, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for 43 years, and American Legion for 22 years. He served on the Trier Township board for several years.

In his spare time, he restored an old 1923 John Deere D Tractor and drove it in many parades.  He also worked on various small engines and repaired lawnmowers for others. He was a jack-of-all trades. He could fix anything from electrical to mechanical.

Edwin was a devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, and great grandfather and will be greatly missed.  

He is survived by his wife of 64 years Iona, Devils Lake, ND; son, Joseph (Rosemary) Goeser, Munich, ND; daughters, Lois (Paul) Bachmeier, Devils Lake, ND; Carolyn (William) Kraft, Fargo, ND; June (Dean) Berg, West Fargo, ND; Susan Connell (Larry Binnion), Buckeye, AZ; ten grandchildren:  Ryan (Samantha) Goeser, Munich, ND; Kelsey (Randy) Fitzner, Cummings, ND; Kayla Bachmeier (Chad Weippert), Fargo, ND; Andrea (Daniel) Reese, Laurie (Dan) Kraft, of Devils Lake, ND; Kraig (Beth) Kraft, Chippewa Falls, WI; Brittany (Tim) Jahraus, Olympia, WA; Cameron Berg, West Fargo, ND; Travis (Erin) Berg, Harrisburg, SD; Alexis Connell, Buckeye, AZ; seventeen great grandchildren; brothers: Eugene Goeser, Munich, ND and Peter (Nancy) Goeser, Carlin, NV; sister Diana (Richard) Jundt, Rugby, ND, and sister-in-law Barbara Curtis, North St. Paul, MN.

He is preceded in death by his parents: John and Anna, mother-in-law and father-in-law Lucille and Earl Evans, sisters and brothers-in-law, Genevieve (Clayton) McLean, Irene (Donald) Stirling, Viola (Jerry) Mayers, sister-in-law Mary Goeser, grandson Dylan Connell, great-granddaughter Jude Berg, great-grandbaby Goeser, brothers-in-law Lawrence Evans, Eugene (Faye) Evans, Duane Curtis, several nieces and nephews.

Casket Bearers will be Kraig Kraft, Ryan Goeser, Cameron Berg, Travis Berg, Andrea Reese, and Alexis Connell. Honorary Bearers are Edwin's grandchildren and great grandchildren. Reading Scripture will be Kelsey Fitzner and Travis Berg. Eucharistic Gift Bearers will be Kayla Bachmeier and Laurie Kraft. Mass Servers: Great Grandsons: Brian Reese and Brayden Reese, friends: John Weber, Chase Weber, and Sylvia Freidig. Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist is Lois Bachmeier. Music provided by Marla Luehring and Andrew Ternes. 

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