John P. Belgarde, age 86 of Dunseith, died Sunday at a Lakota nursing home.  His funeral will be held on Friday at 10:00 am at the St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Dunseith.  The wake will be on Thursday beginning 4:00 pm with a prayer service at 7:00 pm at the Eagle Heart Cultural Center in Dunseith.  Burial will be at the St. Louis Catholic Cemetery at Dunseith.

John P. Belgarde Sr. was born on June 26, 1931 in Dunseith, North Dakota to Peter and Josephine (Demery) Belgarde. He was the youngest and last survivor of 10 siblings. He attended school at the Dunseith Day School and Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota.

John enlisted into the U.S. Army at the age of 17. At 19, he was sent to the Korean War and assigned to Company G, 9 ^th Infantry Regiment. He arrived early in the war during the desperate weeks when all there remained of South Korea was the Pusan Perimeter. His battles began near Yongsan along the Naktong river. He survived the horrific battle at Kunu-ri, battles at Wonju and the May Massacre to name a few of many. He was wounded three times but never evacuated. He entered the war as a Private First Class (E-3) in August 1950 and walked off his last hill in June 1951 as a Platoon Leader (E-9). During his months on the front lines, he went from a naïve depression-era teenager to a tough battle-hardened warrior. He often said he didn't expect to come out of Korea alive, so he set rules for himself while there. They were: 1) I will do the best I can for as long as I can. 2) I will not surrender. 3) I will let no one surrender me.

Upon returning home, he asked Margaret "Peggy" (Gillis) Belgarde to be his bride and they eventually married in February 1952 at Battle Creek, Michigan. He studied diligently and qualified as a combat and civil engineer. Engineering was his vocation for the remainder of his military career of 21 years. He and Peggy traveled the world together having children along the way. They were stationed at Army posts in Germany, Korea, Missouri, North Carolina as well as others. John also traveled the world to compete as a member of the U.S All Army Shooting Team garnering many top honors for the team.

John retired from the Army in 1969. He began his civilian life in Minneapolis, Minnesota working as a draftsman for Belgarde Enterprises, a construction company owned by his brother Charles Belgarde. In 1976, he returned home to Dunseith to pursue his dream to raise and race performance Quarter horses on the Bel-Bros Ranch. He was well-known for his quality Quarter horses and the horse races he and the family organized on the ranch. He was an avid fan of NASCAR and professional boxing. For over twenty years, he successfully competed in Auto-cross at the Brainerd International Raceway (BIR).

John is survived by his son, Mark Belgarde (Plymouth, MN); daughter, Pam Belgarde (Dunseith, ND) and four grandchildren: Tina Belgarde (Phoenix, AZ), John Belgarde III (Seattle, WA), Maurice Smith II (Moorhead, MN) and Harley Tacan (Sioux Valley, MB, Canada).

John is preceded in death by his parents---Peter and Josephine; brothers---George, Isaac, and Charles Belgarde; sisters--Christine Perskie, Eva Gagnon, Marion Anderson, Theresa Aafedt, Catherine Belgarde, and Annie Moran; and son---John Belgarde Jr.

Arrangements are with Nero Funeral Home of Bottineau. Friends may sign the online register at www.nerofuneralhome.net .