Mitchell Poppler, 78, of Williston, ND, passed away Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at the CHI St. Alexius Hospital in Williston, ND.

Mitchell John Poppler was born June 16, 1944, to Fred & Agnes Poppler in Fosston, Minnesota. They moved from the family farm to Tioga in 1952 where he attended grade school. Then they moved to a farmstead near Carmen Corner, ND and he attended the Hawkeye/Charlson country school. He became quite the artist with drawings of army and military equipment.

At the age of 16 he was employed by Prather Drilling and Producing Co. working on workover rigs. His ambition and work ethic lead him to convince the leaders that he was 18. He was employed for two years when they discovered he was just turning 18. He then got an offer to work with is dad Fred Poppler at Lawrence Transportation where he built his skills as a truck driver. During this time, he was young and flush with cash, so he bought his mom and dad a brand-new couch and bought a shed that he had hauled in and turned it into an addition to the 2-bedroom family home to make his three sister’s their own bedroom with new matching purple pillows and blankets. Of course, he had to treat himself and decided he needed to buy a few hot rods one of which being his pride and joy a brand-new custom ’65 Chevy Impala, which may or may not have been “borrowed” by one or two of his sisters while he worked nights. He continued his trucking career in the oil industry with Bomac Drilling Co. working there for several years before going to work for Acme Tools & Fishing which became Wellpro Inc. He worked there until his retirement at the age of 60.

After retirement he enjoyed his time fully dedicated to his DOGS & family. He loved taking his dogs on daily walks, going to the bark park, and taking them for swims at Spring Lake Park. His day was always made better when his kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, & neighbors came over for visits. You would often find him on the front porch or back yard patio as he awaited friends & neighbors to drive past so he can greet them with a warm welcoming wave. If you happen to catch him in Menards or the grocery store you better plan on at least 1-2 hours of visiting.

He loved his yard, displaying the flag proudly, collecting yard decorations such as bald eagles, rocks, and building his pond. He was so proud of this ginormous petrified rock which he found on a well site and refused to leave without it. With some convincing they got it loaded onto his work truck and he brought it home.

At various times you could hear music coming from the house as he loved to play his records, the best and only way to listen to music is on vinyl. He looked forward to his Friday night Gold Rush & his Saturday “Party nights” of popping popcorn & watching Svengoolie! And staying up until wee hours of the morning.

If you knew Mitch, you knew that his bark was worse than his bite. He was so kind, forgiving and had unconditional love for all people and animals, we could all aspire to be like him.

Mitch is survived by his three children, Theresa Martinson-Poppler, Rick (LeAnn) Poppler and Beverly Poppler; his pups, Kota and Monkey; grandchildren, Jessica Poppler, Daniell (Chris) Adkins, Christ Martinson, Sara Martinson, Chance Poppler and Nevaeh Brown; great-grandchildren, Khloe, Payton, Trever, Carter, Kenzie and Hadlie; sisters, Barb, Marie, Cathy; grandpups Tess, Piper, Gus, Timkka, Rosie, Emmy Lou, Stella; grandcats Blu, Sophie, Dexter, Kitty Cat, Paris and Gracie and numerous nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents, infant sister, five brothers-in-law and three beloved dogs, Chubbers, Auggie and Jake.