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- [S927] Obituary.
Woodrow Joseph Eckroth, 96, formerly of Hague, ND, died Janaury 30, 2011 at an Aberdeen, SD hospital. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:00pm Friday, February 4, 2011 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mandan, ND with the Rev. John Guthrie, Rev. Leonard Eckroth and Rev. Paul Eberle officiating. Burial will be on Monday, February 7, 2011 at 11:00am at Mandan Union Cemetery with Rev. Leonard Eckroth officiating. Visitation will be on Thursday from 9:00am to 9:00pm at the Myers Funeral Home, Linton with a prayer service at 7:30pm. Woodrow Joseph "Joe" Eckroth was born on May 26, 1914 in Mandan, ND, the son of Gabriel and Appalonia (Braun) Eckroth. He was baptized and grew up attending St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mandan and attended grade school as well as high school at St. Joseph's Catholic School. After high school, Joe continued his education at UND in Grand Forks, ND, as well as St. John's University in Collegeville, MN. In 1935 he married Kathryn Gallagher and moved to Ketchican, AK to work in construction. In 1941 he was in Alaska when WWII broke out, and Joe enlisted in the United States Coast Guard where he served as a communication specialist throughout the war. After the war, Joe spent several more years in Alaska. He came back to North Dakota and Montana where he worked several positions in a sales capacity, most notably as a sales representative and district manager for AFLAC Insurance. His natural ability to meet people and his excellent speaking skills helped him excel as a salesperson. Joe and Kathryn had two children, Tim and Kathy. The family settled in Billings, MT for many years. Joe's wife died in 1990. Joe's love of fishing and hunting, as well as an invitation from his cousin, Fr. Leonard Eckroth, lured him to Hague, ND. This opened up a new chapter in Joe's life. He met Ella Hummel and they were married on June 20, 1997. Joe immediately became a major part of another family that appreciated his wisdom, admired his faith, and they were also very thankful their mother had found someone to spend her life with. They lived in Hague, and later moved to Strasburg. Joe's final years were spent attending all of the events associated with a large family and Joe often expressed how he enjoyed every minute of it. Joe was actively involved in the Catholic Church of all the communities he lived and gave extensively to Catholic sponsored charities. Joe will always be remembered for his faith and his love of the Lord. He shared his faith with everyone he came in contact with. He was an avid outdoorsman and made many memories hunting and fishing with his son, family and friends. Joe is survived by his wife Ella, of Strasburg, ND; his son and daughter-in-law: Tim and Marilyn Eckroth of Billings, MT; his daughter Kathy Stellingwerf of Sheridan, WY; five grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren; his adopted family, Roger Hummel of Mandan, ND, Dennis and Mary Hummel of Hague, ND, Fran and Colleen Hummel of Hastings, NE, Dean and Connie Hummel of Hague, ND, Bob and Marilyn LeClair of Goodyear, AZ, Barry and Cheryl Baumgartner of Strasburg, ND, Tom and Bev Voller of Hazelton, ND, Bernard Hummel of Atlanta, GA, Alan and Theresa Hummel of Ft. Collins, CO, Ken and Laura Schuster of Groten, SD, Pat and Karla Chamberlain of Aberdeen, SD and Kelly and Laura Hummel of Watertown, SD; thirty-one grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and five brothers: Frank, Mike, Paul, Leo and Andy.
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1914 - 2011 (96 years)