- Donald Thuesen
Funeral services for Donald J. Thuesen will be held at 10:30 AM Monday, January 12. Pastor Betty
Mawbey will officiate at the service at Nathanael Lutheran Church at Dagmar; interment will be in
Nathanael Cemetery. Donald J. Thuesen, Dagmar, MT, passed away in the early morning hours of
January 8, 2009, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. His wife was by his side.
Donald was born July 29, 1929 in Plentywood, MT, the son of Peter and Ida Thuesen. He attended
grade school at Hiawatha elementary school in Dagmar, and graduated from Antelope High
School in 1947, where he was active in both football and basketball.
In the early years, he was a member of the Little Muddies baseball team, and was an avid bowler.
He carried on his love of sports throughout his life as a dedicated Denver Broncos fan, and he also
loved to watch baseball, the Atlanta Braves being his favorite team. He loved trapshooting, and
was a very active member of the Dagmar Pioneer gun club. He designed and helped build the
Pioneer clubhouse that still stands in Dagmar. He enjoyed many fishing trips to Canada with
family and friends, and was an avid hunter as long as his health permitted.
Donald married Laura Jean DeTienne on June 1, 1951 in Bainville, MT. They made their home in Dagmar until moving to Donald¹s
family farm in the fall of 1958. They later purchased that farm and raised their family there. They were blessed with three children,
Paulette, born in 1952, followed by twin brothers, Gary and Greg in 1953.
He began his farming career shortly after graduating from high school, and continued farming throughout his life. He served as the
bookkeeper for the Farmer¹s Union Oil Co. for a time, and managed the Dagmar Co-op Association for 2 years. In the fall of 1958,
Donald began working with the Farmer’s Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He became the Secretary/Manager of the Mutual, which was
run from his home, and was later elected as one of its directors. He also served terms as President and Secretary of the Montana
Association of Mutual Insurance companies. When the office moved to Plentywood in 1981, he remained the manager until retiring in
1983, but continued to serve as a director until July of 2008. During those years with Farmer¹s Mutual, he and his son Greg developed
great respect for each other in the farming operation that Greg managed.
Always striving to simplify farm life, Donald built several pieces of machinery, including a front-end loader from a John Deere combine.
This “farm hand”, as he called it, was used not only to help feed the sheep they raised, but to move snow in the winter and clean out the
garden in the fall. As he retired from farming, he discovered a love for woodworking, turning out many “family heirlooms”.
He served on various boards in the area, including Nathanael Lutheran Church council, Dagmar Farmer¹s Union Co-op, and was the
first president of the NE Montana Durum Growers. He served as Fire Chief for Dagmar when the Medicine Lake Rural Fire Department
was formed, and served in that capacity until turning that position over to his son, Greg, as his health began to fail. He also served on
the Hiawatha school board and was a member of the Danish Brotherhood Lodge in Dagmar.
Donald was a staunch supporter of community growth, and his Dagmar Danish heritage was important to him. He always considered
his family first, being especially proud of their accomplishments and following every event that they were a part of.
Donald is survived by his wife Laura of 57 years, Dagmar; a son, Gary (Lynne), Columbia Falls, MT; daughter in law, Paula, Sidney, MT;
Grandchildren: Amy Thuesen, Austin, MN; Kimberly (Aaron) Rudningen, Center, ND; Kelly (Jeremy) Pris, Kalispell, MT; Nicholas
(Lindsay) Thuesen, Brooklyn, NY; and Laurie (Dan) Grennan, Napier, New Zealand. Donald was delighted by his three Great
Grandchildren, Spencer, Elliot and Sydney Rudningen. He is also survived by a sister, Marjorie Andersen, Reserve, MT, and many
nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter Paulette in 1970, a son Greg in 2007, brothers Alvin, Roger, and
Vivian, and his parents, Peter and Ida, as well as his mother and father-in-law, Alvin and Esther DeTienne.
Fulkerson Funeral Home of Plentywood has charge of arrangements.
| . . . . in Memory of . . . . |
Remembering Don
| 1929 - 2009 |
Laura,
It was so good to see you and Donald while we were in Plentywood. I know he was moved into the room next to Romelle the morning
we left. I am sorry to hear of his passing but I know he was tired of the fight. Please take care of yourself now. Hope the winter isn't too
bad.
Jo Jo Jurica
Pwderville Mt.
ljurica@rangeweb.net
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It was so good to see you and Donald while we were in Plentywood. I know he was moved into the room next to Romelle the morning
we left. I am sorry to hear of his passing but I know he was tired of the fight. Please take care of yourself now. Hope the winter isn't too
bad.
Jo Jo Jurica
Pwderville Mt.
ljurica@rangeweb.net
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