Alton Shjeflo

Funeral services for Alton Shjeflo, 96, of Dickinson, ND will be 11:00 am, Thursday, December 11, 2008 at Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson with Pastor Steven Tangen officiating. Burial will follow in the Dickinson Cemetery. Visitation will be 12 pm ? 9 pm, on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, the family will receive friends from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue on Thursday, December 11, 2008 from 8 am until service time at Stevenson Funeral Home in Dickinson. Alton L. (Al) Shjeflo, age 96, passed from this life on December 4th, 2008 at St. Benedict?s Health Center. He was born to Axel Shjeflo and Judith Rudd Shjeflo October 30, 1912 on a farmstead in rural western North Dakota. He grew up on ranches in rural Dunn County near Killdeer, Dunn Center, Halliday and also in Medora. An adventurous young man, he and his older brother Jelmer spent many hours on horseback, hunting and tending the family?s cattle. After graduating from Halliday High school, he graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in civil engineering. While in college, he met the love of his life, Elene N. Whitney of Dickinson. After his graduation, they married December 28th, 1940 and moved to California where he worked with the Army Corp of Engineers building Shasta Dam. Al and Elene returned to North Dakota and eventually settled in Dickinson. Three children were born to the union, Marjorie, Suzanne, and John. Al was the manager of the Rural Electrification Cooperative, directing efforts to bring electricity for the first time to western North Dakota. He retired in 1977. He and his wife Elene were longtime members of St. John?s Lutheran Church. He was a member of the Lions Club, Elks Lodge 1137, ?Rock Club?, the local woodcarvers club, coin club, and an avid bowler in to his late eighties. For many years, he fished all over the upper Midwest and Canada. He also loved bird hunting, especially waterfowl and pheasant. He was also a great collector and ?antiquer?. He was a regular fixture at auctions far and near. He was an avid fan of Indian artifacts and culture and had a great interest in the history and people of North Dakota. He will be remembered as a wonderful father and grandfather, and loving and committed husband. Al and Elene celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary last year. Survivors include his wife Elene, a resident of St. Benedict?s Health Center. He is also survived by daughter Suzanne Vanvig, granddaughter Julie Vanvig-Burnell, her husband Mike and great-grandsons Dylan and Jared. Grandson Douglas Vanvig, his wife Nicole, great-grandchildren Courtney, Sara, Avery, Kaitlynn and Axel all of Ozark, Missouri; a son, John Shjeflo, daughter-in-law Pat Shjeflo, granddaughter Erica, granddaughter Nicole and great-grandson Cyrus, all of Tulsa, Ok and granddaughter Corrine Zastoupil and great-granddaughter Shana of Billings, MT, daughter Marjorie Humphreys and husband Brad of Elizabethtown, Ky. Al is also survived by his brother, Walter Shjeflo and wife Oral (Schnell) of Scottsdale AZ and sister Myrtle Davis of Bismarck; He will also be remembered fondly by many nieces and nephews. Al was preceded in death by his parents Judith and Axel Shjeflo, brother, Jelmer Shjeflo and wife Audy, sister Florence Buck and husband Dick, son-in-law Bill Vanvig, grandson Cole Shjeflo and great-granddaughter Austin Vanvig.


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Burial Date: December 11, 2008
Funeral Home Dickinson, ND

Funeral Service: Thursday, Stevenson Funeral Home Dickinson, ND