Dale Henry Garmann passed away peacefully at the Good Shepherd Home in Watford City, ND on March 19, 2025, surrounded by family and loved ones.

Dale was born on July 10, 1934, in Watford City, ND, to parents Dorothy (Knight) and Henry Garmann.

Dale attended Banks school while helping on the family farm and then left to work for a couple of ranchers in the Keene area his first few years out of school. Dale always knew what he wanted to do and there was no stopping him. When he was barely 18 years old, he chose to enlist in the U.S. army. He served from 1952 to 1955 and during that time went to Korea as part of the infantry. Originally, he was given the title of cook, but he said I am not here to cook I am here to fight so that is what he did. He didn’t spend one day as a cook there. After serving there for 9 months he came home with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He then spent almost 2 years stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas. He was honorably discharged and moved back to his home state of North Dakota.

Dale started working right away, farming in the Alexander area. He met the love of his life shortly thereafter. On Nov. 16, 1958, he married JoAnne (Karpyak). They raised five children, four boys and one girl. During Dale’s life there wasn’t anything that he couldn’t accomplish. You name it, he did it. He was involved in farming. He custom combined all the way to TX and back to ND working along the way. He worked for a farm equipment dealer. He worked on drilling rigs. He created his own concrete ready mix and steel building construction company. He even created his own garbage business “McKenzie Rural Sanitation”. He also had numerous side gigs including raising emus, ostriches and rheas.

Dale constructed, tore down and moved many buildings and houses throughout his life in Watford City including tearing down an elevator and part of the old school. He would use all the materials from those projects to build his houses including bricks, wood beams and metal ceiling trusses.

Throughout the years Dale went to work intermittently on oil drilling rigs, including an adventure to the Alaskan North Slope where he worked on a rig. After returning to working on the rigs later in life he decided to retire from that at the young age of 75.

As much as Dale loved to work, he also loved to play. He loved gardening, maintaining many different gardens over the years with huge raspberry and strawberry patches that you could spend hours picking berries in. He enjoyed playing cards, pinochle and Texas Hold Em were his favorites, which he taught his grandkids how to play and they loved it. He built a TALL swing on the very top of the hill at his home and would push the grandkids as high as they could go. He spent hours upon hours collecting large rocks and boulders which he bought rock saws to cut and laid them out as flooring in his home. He also enjoyed metal working and he would spend hours in the iron pile gathering materials and making metal flowers. On many occasions you could find Dale and his big ol’ hat at a local establishment enjoying a screwdriver, playing a game of pool, making friends and dancing the two step with a big grin on his face.

Dale worked, played and loved hard all his life and everything he did was for his wife and family. The love of family shined with Dale, and it showed through the many pictures of him with his family. To say he left an impression would be an understatement.

We are sure heaven welcomed Dale with a tall glass of milk with ice and some oatmeal cookies.

Dale is survived by his wife JoAnne; children Kevin (Jean) Garmann of Bloomfield, MI, Wade (Rhonda) Garmann of Watford City, ND, Cary (Darlene) Garmann of Watford City, ND, Lori (Dan) English of Williston, ND, and Chad (Becky) Garmann of Watford City, ND; grandchildren Ashley (Jose) Gonzalez, Brianna Garmann, Brandi Garmann, Bailee (Devin) Garmann, Dayton Connor, Casey Garmann, Kristi Garmann, Josh Garmann, Cole Garmann, Austin (Christin) Garmann, Destiny Regh, Dakota Garmann, Sierra (Jake) Shipp, Damien Liedtke, Heather Liedtke, Derek Liedtke, Karee Jo Garmann, Chris Doerfler, and Stephanie Doerfler; and 38 great-grandchildren. Dale is also survived by siblings Jerry Garmann of Watford City, N.D. and Dennis (Carolann) Garmann of Junction City, Utah and numerous nieces and nephews.

Dale is preceded in death by his parents Henry and Dorothy and siblings Lavern, Darrell, Myrna, Allen and Lois.

Memorial Contribution