Donald Kirsch

Donald J. Kirsch, 87, Dickinson, died Monday, November 13, 2006, at St. Luke?s Home, Dickinson. Mass of Christian Burial will be 2 p. m. on Thursday at St. Thomas Catholic Church, Gladstone, with the Fr. Boniface Muggli, OSB, celebrating. Interment will be in the St. Thomas Cemetery, Gladstone. Visitation with a closed casket will be Wednesday from 1 p. m. to 9 p. m. with a vigil service at 7p. m. led by Deacon Joe and Vi Kappel. Donald J. Kirsch was born in Gladstone on January 21, 1919 to Peter and Elsie Kirsch. He graduated from Gladstone High School in 1936 and eight years later on June 5, 1944, he married Pauline Lefor. For nearly 60 years Don and Pauline farmed and ranched south of Gladstone where they reared two children, Judy and Rod. For five decades, the Kirsch family was in the purebred Hereford business. In 2003, Don and Pauline moved to Dickinson Beyond ranching and farming, Don devoted a great deal of energy in the 1960s and 1970s to education, serving 15 years on the Gladstone School Board and 3 years on the Dickinson School Board, including a term as President on each board. In the late 1960s, he led the successful initiative to annex the Gladstone School District to Dickinson. For five years he was President of the Stark County School Board Association and also was a member of the Dickinson State College advisory board. His service to the education of young people went beyond the local level. Don served as a director and then President for two years on the North Dakota School Board Association. He also spent two years as President of the North Dakota Council on Education. His legacy to education lives on in his children whose entire careers have been in education. These many years of volunteer service would not have been possible without the devotion and support of his wife, Pauline. His other affiliations and positions included: membership on the North Dakota Personal Property Tax Commission; secretary-treasurer of the Gladstone Fire Department; vice president of the Gladstone Cooperative Elevator Board; the St. Thomas Church advisory board and lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus; member of the North Dakota Stockmen?s Association and 36 year member of the Elks. Donald loved his family, his farm, and animals. He was an avid reader, particularly of books on WWII history and current political affairs. He is survived by his wife, Pauline; his children, Judy and Rod; his daughter-in-law, Michele; his two granddaughters, Kelsey and Mackenzie; and his sister, Marjorie. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Andrew and Walter; and his sister, Eleanor. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dickinson Public Schools Foundation, 979 13th Avenue West, Dickinson, ND, 58601.


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Burial Date: November 26, 2006
Funeral Home Dickinson, ND

Funeral Mass: Thursday, St. Thomas Catholic Church, Gladstone