Albert William Holwegner

Albert ?Al? Holwegner, 90, Bismarck, died November 22, 2010, at his home. Funeral services will be held on 1:30 pm Saturday, November 27, at Faith Lutheran Church, Bismarck, with Rev. Wes Aardahl officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens, Bismarck. Visitation will be from 2:00 pm until 8:00 pm Friday at Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Albert was born on November 14, 1920, in Bismarck, ND, the eldest child of Jacob and Mabel Tice Holwegner. He grew up and attended school in Bismarck. At the age of 21, Al enlisted in the North Dakota National Guard which became regular Army 188th Field Artillery Headquarters Battery. His main job was to repair and replace communication lines that the Germans kept knocking out. He served in Germany, France, and Belgium. In April 1945, Al was awarded the Bronze Star. Of all the medals he received, he said however, the most important was the Good Conduct Medal. He was honorably discharged in October 1945. The big joy of Al?s retirement years were the many Army reunions he attended. He always looked forward to seeing his old friends, sharing food, memories, laughter, and tears. In between, they burned up minutes on the cell phone talking to one another. Al returned to Bismarck, eventually working his way up to field representative for Winston-Newell. It was there he met Norma, whom he married on May 30, 1948, in Manfred, ND. They transferred to Minot, and eventually bought their own grocery store in Harvey, ND. Later, they moved to Williston and once again settled in Bismarck. Al had a strong and dedicated work ethic, whether delivering Western Union telegrams or caddying at Tom O?Leary Golf Course. He learned to golf because after he finished his rounds, Tom O?Leary would give lessons to the caddies. He enjoyed and was good at golf until he developed macular degeneration. Al and Norma had two children, David and Barbara. His love of children made him a favorite with the neighbor children. A knock on the door with the request, ?Can Al come out and play?? was a family favorite memory. Al is survived by his wife of 62 years, Norma and his daughter, Barb; his sister, Ruth Lund; his brother, Lawrence Doris; his sister-in-law, Pauline Holwegner; his step-sister, Eleanor Winkler; 21 very special nieces and nephews and their families; and cousins who were like immediate family. He was preceded in death by his son, David; his parents; brothers, Les and Cliff; his sister, Isabel; brother-in-law, Gil Ringuette; sister-in-law, Eileen Holwegner; nephew, Mike; stepfather, George Schubert; his in-laws, Halvor and Martha Olsen; and brother-in-law, Oscar Olsen. On behalf of Al, we want to sincerely thank his visiting angels and the St. Alexius Hospice Staff.

Albert William Holwegner

November 14, 1920 - November 22, 2010