ORVILLE RAMSEY

ORVILLE RAMSEY

Orville Duane Ramsey was born at McHenry, ND, on February 4, 1935, the first of seven children born to Alvin and Ruth (Knutson) Ramsey. He was baptized and confirmed at Faith Lutheran Church in Hannaford. He attended school at Revere and Helena No. 2 and graduated from Cooperstown Public School in 1953.

Following his graduation from high school, he attended NDSCS in 1953, and in 1955 he enrolled in pre-engineering. Orville enlisted in the Army in February of 1957. During his military service, which lasted until March 1960, he was stationed at Fort Chaffee, AR; Milwaukee, WI; and Worms, Germany. After his military service, Orville attended NDSU in Fargo where he majored in Business Economics and graduated in 1969.

On December 7, 1968, Orville was united in marriage to Connie Bork at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cooperstown. The newlywed couple began their life together in Fargo, and one by one they added four daughters to their family: Jill, Shanna, Stacey, and Collette. In 1979 they began construction on a house in Hannaford, where they camped in the driveway in a little camper with their young girls while the house was being built. Orville did much of the work on the house himself, with Connie assisting him.

Orville was a partner in Ramsey-Saxerud Construction for 20 years until he bought the business in 1983 and renamed it Ramsey Sand and Gravel. He began farming in 1973 when he purchased the Fred Adams farm northwest of Hannaford. He also owned and operated Ramsey Trucking in the 1970s while establishing his farming operation. With the help of his nephew and longtime hired man Jay Grover, Orville continued to work hauling gravel and farming, until he moved to the Griggs County Care Center in June of 2023.

Orville was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Hannaford, serving as treasurer and church council member. He enjoyed history—Hannaford area history, in particular. Most of all, Orville loved to work. He could usually be found hauling gravel, doing fieldwork, or puttering around in his shop.

May God bless the memory of Orville Duane Ramsey, 91, who died peacefully on May 8, 2026 at the Griggs County Care Center in Cooperstown, ND.

Orville was preceded in death by his wife Connie, parents Ruth and Alvin, his mother- and father-in-law Conrad and Emma Bork, sisters and brothers-in-law Arlene (Ephriam) Himmerich and Delores (Robert) Haugen, and nephews Jeffrey Himmerich and Ricky Haugen.

Orville is survived by his four daughters: Jill (John) Schumacher of Reynolds, ND; Shanna (Peter) Stromsodt of Moorhead, MN: Stacey (Endre) Aarestad of Cooperstown, ND, and Collette (Owen) Dramstad of Harwood, ND. Orville was a proud grandpa to 13 grandchildren: Ellie, Josie, and Zane Schumacher; Zachary (Sarah) Stromsodt, Faith (Otis) Weah, Hope, Grant, and Daniel Stromsodt; Carter, Emma, and Anika Aarestad; and Ruth (Carter) Eisinger and Laura Dramstad, and 3 great-grandchildren: Connie Eisinger, Ila Weah, and Norah Stromsodt.

Orville is also survived by his sisters Sharon (John) Grover and Peg Roy, and brothers Dennis (Sue) Ramsey, and Steven Ramsey, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The funeral service for Orville Ramsey will be Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 2:00 pm at Faith Lutheran Church in Hannaford, with visitation beginning at 1:00 pm. Interment will be in Faith Cemetery, Hannaford, ND.