Ralph Bergman, age 74 of Bottineau, passed away on Thursday, October 10, 2024 near his home.  His funeral will be held on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at 10:00 am at the First Lutheran Church in Bottineau.  Visitation will be on Tuesday starting at 1:00 pm with a prayer service at 7:00 pm at the Nero Funeral Home in Bottineau.  Burial will be at the Oak Creek Cemetery in Bottineau.

Ralph Edward Bergman was born in Bottineau, ND on December 25th, 1949, to Otto and Elizabeth (Fraser) Bergman.  He was raised on his parent's farm, along with his 9 brothers and sisters.

He graduated from Bottineau High School in 1967, and attended the North Dakota School of Forestry starting in the fall of 1967 through spring of 1968 where he focused on liberal arts and general studies.  While there, he was very involved in their gymnastics program, frequently performing at ball game halftimes. After that year at the School of Forestry, he moved on to the State School of Science where his focus was in mechanical studies and welding. He joined the Army where he was honorably discharged in 1970, and he remained proud of his service for the remainder of his life.

On June 28, 1974, he married the love of his life, Janice Campbell.  They raised three daughters together – Rhea, Kim, and Keely.

Ralph farmed for many years on the family farm near Bottineau.  He was completely devoted to the farmhouse and land, spending hours and hours tending to whatever needed done, as farmers do.  After long days in the field, he would come home, ask his daughters to take off his boots, and they always obliged, happy to see their dad.  During the day, his girls would get on their bikes and ride out to the field, sandwich in tow, searching for their dad.  He would let them ride along in the combine or tractor, sometimes singing silly songs with them to make the time pass.  Farming took up much of his time, but his family was always the most important.

When it was time to stop farming his own land in 2004, Ralph "retired," but still helped other farmers out whenever needed.  Ralph was always willing to lend a hand to anybody.  He worked for his brother, Ron, for a number of years fixing appliances and working on small engines.  There was rarely anything Ralph couldn't fix.  His family regarded him as the best handyman around.

When his brother retired, Ralph followed suit and began to turn his attention to his hobbies, specifically woodworking, honing his skills over the years.  He made many beautiful bowls, charcuterie boards, cutting boards, and pizza peels that have been loved by family and members of the community.  He was always excited whenever someone would complement him on his work and thankfully, the compliments were many.  In recent years, he started branching out into vendor shows with the encouragement of his daughter.

Ralph was an avid reader and he especially enjoyed science fiction books.  He collected a massive number of books over the years.  He also completed Sodoku puzzles (always in pen, never in pencil) to pass the time.  There was almost always a puzzle on the dining room table, in some stage of completion.

Ralph immensely enjoyed singing in the choir at First Lutheran Church, where he'd been a member all of his life.  He would often talk to his daughter and son-in-law about the songs they were learning, and it was clear there was joy in his heart.  He loved singing for God, the church, and the community.

Ralph was preceded in death by his father, Otto, his mother, Elizabeth, his daughter, Rhea Bergman, his daughter, Kim Warriner, and his sister, Lynne Boettcher.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Janice Bergman, his daughter, Keely (William) Gates, his brothers Ken (Marian) Bergman, Ron (Sandee) Bergman, Robert (Karen) Bergman, and Jim (Marilyn) Bergman, and sisters Sally (Dave) Duval, Alda (Jack) Carter, Carol (Doug) Lindekugel, and Lois (Tim) Bergman, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.