August "Augie" Kuntz

August “Augie” Kuntz, age 89, Mandan, went to meet the Lord on November 26, 2022.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 1:30 PM on Thursday, December 1, 2022, at Spirit of Life Catholic Church, Mandan, with Fr. Keith Streifel celebrating. Burial will follow at the North Dakota Veteran’s Cemetery at 3 PM with full military honors.

Visitation will be held at Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, Mandan, from 5-7 PM on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, with a Rosary and Vigil at 7 PM.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday.

Augie was born in Solen, ND on March 9, 1933, the tenth of eleven children to Jacob and Rose (Schwartz) Kuntz. He was raised on a farm near Solen where he lived until the age of 18.  Augie was educated in a one room schoolhouse. In March 1953 Augie was drafted into the US Army, serving during the Korean War era in Heilbronn, Germany and was honorably discharged March 1955. While on military leave, he married Bernice Wetsch on August 6, 1953, at St. Anthony Catholic Church. They were blessed with two daughters, Jocelyn and Jolene.  

His strong work ethic started at a young age on the farm and continued through various jobs including Northern Pacific Railroad, Froeschle Sons, and Capital City Construction as a job superintendent. He took his work very seriously. Augie was proud of his work on the MedCenter One, Ashley, and Elgin Hospital projects and also the construction of the judicial wing of the ND state capital. After retiring at the age of 59, he enjoyed lending a helping hand to his son-in-law with various building projects. His hobbies included going to stock car races, camping, fishing, and hunting.  He also enjoyed dancing to old-time music, especially a polka, which was his favorite. Augie loved watching his garden grow and sharing his produce. August and Bernice enjoyed going on bus tours and making new friends along the way. He was a member of the Eagles, Moose, and Legion Clubs.

Family and faith were the two most important things in his life. With the loss of his daughter, Jocelyn, in the summer of July 1988, Augie became a father figure while raising Antonio and Chassity. August loved to organize and plan family gatherings, especially where we were going to eat. He served as a Eucharistic Minister, an altar preparer, participated in Adoration, and worked in the soup kitchen at Spirit of Life. He was also a volunteer bell ringer for the Salvation Army for several years.

Blessed to have shared in his life is his wife of 69 years, Bernice Kuntz, Mandan; daughter, Jolene (Danni) Kuntz, Mandan; grandchildren, Chassity (Jason) Kelm, Medicine Lake, MT, Antonio (Samantha) Rosas, Mandan, Kayla Red Legs, SD, Carrie (Troy) Gittings, Fayetteville, AR, Jesse Kuntz, Velva, ND, Michael Kuntz (Kathie Anderson), Bismarck, and Christopher (Rhosabelle) Kuntz, Naples, Italy; 13 great grandchildren; his brother, Joseph (Carol) Kuntz; sisters-in-law, Helen Kuntz and Caroline Kuntz; and siblings-in-law, Arno (Sue) Wetsch and Eleanor Wetsch; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

August is preceded in death by his parents; in-laws, Michael and Eva Wetsch; daughter, Jocelyn; brothers, Paul (Pearl), Vince (Cecelia), Jake (Emma), Alphonse, and Bill Kuntz; sisters, Caroline (Leo) Balkowitsch, Bertha Lutz, Irene (Gerald) Bruning, and Ann Heintz; and siblings-in-law, Leo Wetsch, Irene (Francis) Monzelowsky, and Carol Wetsch.