Stanley Herbert Dreyer (“Stan”) was born on November 17, 1925, in Colgan, North Dakota, the youngest of seven children born to Gustav and Angeline (Pedersen) Dreyer. Stan’s parents were born in Norway and immigrated to the United States, eventually settling outside of Colgan, North Dakota, where they owned a turkey farm. Stan’s early years were spent on school and helping on the farm. In 1937, he and the family relocated to Minot, North Dakota, where after turning 17, Stan began driving taxi for his brother Jerry’s company. On November 10, 1943, he enlisted in the United States Navy and was sent to Farragut, Idaho, where he completed the signal course at the Naval Training School. He served during World War II at Adak Alaska Naval Base in the Aleutian Islands and was honorably discharged on January 26, 1946.

After separation from the Navy, Stan returned to Minot where he drove taxi again for his brother until he went to work as a “grease monkey” for Wesley Motor, working there for three years. Stan’s sister Audrey introduced him to his future wife, Evelyn Jorgensen, who was born of Danish parents and grew up in Kenmare, North Dakota. Their first meeting was uneventful since Stan was dating a nurse and Evelyn thought Stan was “too good looking and tall to look at her twice”. When Stan ended his relationship with the nurse, he asked his sister, Audrey, to ask Evelyn if she would go out with him. Evelyn gladly accepted and the couple began dating in May 1947. On December 28, 1947, Stan and Evelyn were united in marriage at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Kenmare and from this union, the couple was blessed with three children, Geoff, Coni and Shirley. Stan and Evelyn lived in Minot until 1950 when they relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota where Stan successfully completed refrigeration school. In 1952, at the urging of one of Evelyn’s close childhood friends, Donna (Olsen) Johnson, the couple moved to Sidney, Montana, where Stan went to work for Louie Lee Electric. He left Louie Lee and went out on his own for a time, before finally going to work for Montana Dakota Utilities in 1957. Stan continued to work at MDU until his retirement after 28½ years in May of 1986.

After retirement from MDU, Stan certainly did not stay idle. For a while, he operated his own appliance repair business. Helping his children move their homes kept Stan busy many times over the years. His many contributions to the moves included packing boxes, moving furniture, transporting household belongings, doing carpentry work, repairing or replacing appliances, updating electrical wiring and applying his numerous other skills to any other chore as needed. He and his wife kept the books for Mutual Rural Insurance Company from 1981 to 1995. In addition, Stan handled the financial affairs for an elderly woman from church. After her death in 1996, he arranged for her funeral and payment of her final expenses. Through his sensitive handling of the funeral, Stan was offered a position at Fulkerson Funeral Home in 1997. So, until 2005, he worked part-time at the mortuary, doing a variety of jobs. A few years after leaving the mortuary, Stan took up the role as sole care-giver for his beloved wife, Evelyn, whose health was beginning to fail. He continued to care for Evelyn until her death on July 15, 2012. The couple had been married for 64½ years. Early in 2013, Stan decided to sell his Sidney home and desiring to be closer to family, he moved to Billings to live with his daughters. Because of his failing health, Stan moved to Lasting Legacy Assisted Living on July 28, 2017.

Over the years, Stan was the principal driver on the many car trips taken by the family, with his wife’s parents to visit her only brother and his family in California. Along the way on each of these trips, other relatives and old family friends were visited and lots of sight-seeing was done in the western United States and Canada. Stan and his family also spent many wonderful vacations at Lake Kenosee in Saskatchewan, Canada. Stan and Evelyn took a trip of a lifetime in 1989 to Denmark and Norway, visiting the places where their folks were born and grew up and connecting with members of the extended family. In October of 2013, Stan was thrilled to be part of one of the Big Sky Honor Flights that honored World War II veterans with a visit to Washington, D.C. and the World War II Memorial.

Stan was the type of person “who never met a stranger” and he enjoyed striking up a conversation with anyone on most any subject. He was always willing to do most anything to help others whenever and wherever he was needed. Stan possessed a great sense of humor, a big smile and he loved to laugh. He was a patient man, slow to anger, loving, kind, caring, gentle and always ready to give a hug, especially to those who were hurting. Stan was especially good with calming crying babies and children and mothers knew they could rely on him to stop the tears.

Stan received Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior in 1968 and was faithful to the Lord for the remainder of his life. Along with his family, his faith was the most important thing in his life. He and Evelyn were long time members of the Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church, where both served in a variety of capacities, and later, after moving to Billings, Stan became a member of the Yellowstone Lutheran Brethren Church.

Stan went home to be with his Lord on August 11, 2017. He is lovingly remembered and survived by: one son, Geoff (Kathie) of Denver, CO; two daughters, Coni Dreyer and Shirley Dreyer, of Billings, MT; two granddaughters, Ashley (David) Roseman and Kellie Dreyer of Denver, CO; one grandson, Daniel Dreyer of Denver, CO and two great-grandsons, Gabriel Roseman and Dominic Roseman. He was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn; his parents and all his brothers (Edmond, Kjerulf and Gerald) and sisters (Helga, Audrey and Edith).