Richard Sturlaugson

Richard Wayne Sturlaugson passed away peacefully in their Arizona home, on May 4, 2021 surrounded by his loving wife, of nearly 65 years, Bev, and his children. He was born April 18, 1937 in Langdon ND to Sigurdur and Doreen (Beaudrie) Sturlaugson. He enjoyed a wonderful childhood in Langdon with his younger brother Ronnie. He graduated from Langdon High School in 1955. That fall he attended North Dakota State University, where he joined the Alpha Tau Omega, ATO, fraternity house in Fargo ND. On June 8, 1956, he married the love of his life, Beverly Ann Hart in Langdon ND. He began working in the family business, Sturlaugson Oil Service Station. In 1961, Sig (dad), Ron (brother) and Richard formed a service station partnership. He was a partner in the family business until 1975. In 1966, Richard & Bev built the Dairy Queen in Langdon, which they named the Four Queens Dairy Queen in honor of their four girls, Brenda, Kim, Terryl and Helen. But in the process of building it, God wasn’t quite done with their family and that same year, they were blessed with a son, Dan. When they sold the Dairy Queen in 1979, they started a business called Sports & Shirts on Main Street in Langdon. Richard had other business ventures during these years; apartments, a grain bin business and selling insurance. For years he enjoyed being a member of the Langdon Eagles Club, the Langdon Golf Club and the Langdon Curling Club. Richard was an active member of the KEM Shriners Club, the Lebanon Lodge 34 and the Scottish Rite of the Free Masons. He loved being a Shriner; it gave him a lifetime of friendships and memories. He would put on his Fez for the parades and worked the Shrine Circus for many years. Most summers were spent camping as a family. For many summers they would take at least one family camping trip with the cousins to Killarney, Manitoba. The rest of the summer was spent camping at the Icelandic State Park in Cavalier, ND with lots of friends and family. After camping a few times at Pelican Lake in MN, in 1981 they bought their first cabin on Pelican Lake. They spent many years traveling from Langdon to Pelican Lake until 1989, they built their lake home and in 1993 they made Pelican Lake MN their permanent home. In 1995, they started a gift shop, called From the Hart, in Dunvilla MN until they retired in 2014. During these years they started to winter in Arizona. Richard and Bev both loved the Arizona weather. He enjoyed golfing in his custom made NDSU golf cart. He enjoyed the many gatherings with friends and family, but mostly enjoyed spending time with his love, Bev. Richard’s pride and joy was his family. He is survived by his wife of nearly 65 years, Beverly Ann Hart, his five children; Brenda (John) Orrell of Clive IA, Kim (Greg) Schultz of Peoria AZ, Terryl (Rick) Graalum of Fargo ND, Helen (James) Tackett of Citrus Heights CA, Dan (Jennifer) Sturlaugson of Fargo, ND. His 12 grandchildren: Brenda’s children: Nicole Orrell, Kelsey (Matt) Probasco. Kim’s Children: Jack and Savanna Schultz. Terryl’s Children: Kelly (Josh) Perlich, Kyle (Tiffany) Graalum, Kristopher (Christina) Graalum, Kayla Graalum. Helen’s children: JD (Krystle) Tackett, Kody Tackett. Dan’s children: Lauren and Dane Sturlaugson. His 13 Great-grandchildren: Ryker, Declan, Caden, Lucas, Anika, Jacob, Jackson, Brigham, Lennon, Hayden, Halle, Michael, and Nathan. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Sig and Doreen Sturlaugson, his brother, Ronald Sturlaugson and his great-granddaughter Kensington Graalum. A small family prayer service was held on May 5th, 2021 at Menke Funeral Home in Sun City, AZ, where Pastor Lowell Nelson of American Lutheran Church, Sun City lifted the family up in prayer and said a final blessing for Richard. A Celebration Of Life service will be held this summer in ND/MN and Richard will be laid to rest in Langdon at Lebanon Cemetery alongside his parents and brother.