Benjamin Bertsch

Benjamin F. Bertsch, 83, of Glen Ullin, ND, passed away December 25, 2023 at Sanford Health in Bismarck.  

A funeral service will be held 10:00 AM Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at the Evangelical Congregational Church in Glen Ullin with Pastor David Skjoldal officiating.  Visitation will be held Tuesday from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM at the church.  Burial will take place in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at 1:00 pm Tuesday.

Ben was born February 26, 1940 near Burt, ND to Mike & Ida (Dorheim) Bertsch.  He was raised in a large family of 22 brothers and sisters.  As a child, he moved with his mother, along with two brothers and two sisters to Hebron, ND where he attended school.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1959 and served a good part of that time in a missile defense system near Thiele, Greenland along with other locations in the United States.  Following his discharge, he moved to Casselton, ND where he worked in furniture retail and drove ambulance for the West Funeral Home.

Ben later moved to Erskine, MN where he worked for Garden Valley Telephone Company for many years. In May of 1986 he married Sharon Tkach Peterson. In 1997 Ben retired and the couple made their home in North Dakota where Ben enjoyed operating an antique shop.  He enjoyed antiquing, fishing, hunting, golfing, and playing cards.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon Bertsch; two step-sons, Paul & Jay Peterson; one sister, Viola Prischmann; one brother, Herbert Bertsch;  three sisters-in-law, Susan Ficek, Joanne Tkach, & Betty Tkach; & two brothers-in-law, Tim (Brenda) Tkach and Jerome Koehler.

He was preceded in death by his parents, 19 siblings, 2 brothers-in-law, and a sister-in-law.