Elmer Herdt, 89, Garrison, died on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at the Garrison Memorial Hospital Nursing Facility in Garrison. Memorial services will be held on Saturday at 11:00 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Garrison.
Elmer was born January 24, 1928 on a farm near Coleharbor, ND to Henry and Margaret (Kemp) Herdt. He was raised and educated in the Coleharbor and Underwood area. Following school, he entered the US Army and served during the Korean War.
Elmer married Evelyn Frame on February 8, 1954 in Buffalo, SD. They made their home in Garrison and Elmer began his long career as a crane operator. He worked for the Operating Engineers Union Local #49. Through the Union Elmer worked for numerous companies on many different projects. He was involved in the building of dams, power plants and any other project including crane work in the entire upper Midwest.
As is the business of construction, Elmer had some free time in the winter, but that didn't mean he wasn't busy! He loved spending time in his garage and spent endless hours building trailers, working on cars and welding. He enjoyed his many visits with his two old buddies, Harold Uhlich and Donald Gehring. There were many stories and lots of life's problems worked out in that old garage. However, as they got older and one's voice became softer and the other's ears were poor, the stories seemed to get a little bit distorted! That didn't stop them from visiting, however and they always made time to get together. Elmer always had a passion for new cars. He loved to see the new features and options available, but he had a special interest in Fords, Lincolns, and Mercury's. In his later years, Elmer still had the itch to be busy, probably from his crane operating days, so he kept himself busy mowing the lawn and tending his garden.
Elmer is survived by his wife, Evelyn, Garrison, son; Jim Herdt, Minot; son-in-law, Max Cohen Sarasota, FL; 2 grandchildren, Tim Cohen, Tom (Mariah) Cohen, 6 great grandchildren, Max, Mitchell, Taylor, Drake, Wilson, and Lauren; 1 great great grandchild, Charlotte Oluich; one brother, Melvin Herdt, Turtle Lake, ND, several nieces and nephews, and his beloved chihauhau, Sandy.
He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter, Deloris "Wendy" Cohen, 2 sisters, Emma Rath and Edna Kreller, and 1 brother, Rueben Herdt.