Jerry Eugene Kalvik

Jerry Eugene Kalvik was born April 30, 1943 in Tacoma, Washington, to two North Dakotans displaced by World War II, Arvid and Odelia (Kaastad) Kalvik. After the war the family moved to Fargo, ND where Jerry attended school, graduating from Fargo Central high School in 1961. He spent some summers staying with his grandparents near Hannaford, ND, where he grew a love for and appreciation of farm life as well. Jerry passed away on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at home under the care of Hospice of the Red River Valley after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Two significant characteristics became apparent when Jerry held his first job during his early school years. He started out as a shoeshine boy on Broadway, earning money to buy a transistor radio. Jerry was a very diligent, conscientious worker, always doing his very best and taking pride in his work. He also had a love of music that carried through the rest of his life. In his later high school years Jerry worked at Dahl’s Super Value.

Following high school Jerry joined the US Marine Corps. He served on a platoon afloat in the Vietnam arena. He was stationed at El Toro Marine base in California when he returned, where he met and married Mary Grimes. Upon discharging honorably from the Marines, Jerry and his new wife started their life together in Fargo, where they raised their two children – Debra and Paul. While he attended classes at NDSU, Jerry started working at Hornbacher's, advancing to dairy and frozen foods manager, a position he held for most of his 39 years with the company. During those years, he subsequently married Corrine Fuss and Mary Beth Meyers. Upon retiring, Jerry was a meticulous hard worker cleaning for Valley Imports and the Professional Building in Fargo, Kmart in Detroit Lakes, and Lakeland True Value in Pelican Rapids. He moved to the Detroit Lakes-Pelican Rapids area after retiring to join his fiancée Patti Cummins.

Jerry was a member of the American Legion, VFW, and held many positions including governor, ambassador, and legionnaire of the year with the Fargo Moose organization. He attended Hope Lutheran Church and then Bethlehem Lutheran Church, where he was an usher group leader. Jerry played, coached, and managed fast-pitch softball from his twenties through most of his forties. A member of the Fargo softball organization recently asked to nominate him to their Hall of Fame, but true to his humble nature, Jerry declined. He hadn’t kept his stats because he was in it for the game, not the fame. Needless to say, he was an avid Twins and Vikings fan. Jerry sang karaoke and has been introduced as Fargo’s own Neil Diamond at times. He continued karaoke throughout his retirement, mostly at the Pelican Rapids VFW. Jerry liked and was genuinely interested in people he met, which garnered him many friends.

Jerry is survived by his fiancée Patti Cummins; his children, Deborah Nichols and Paul Kalvik; grandchildren, Cass (Grant) Bendix, Alec Nichols and Connor Nichols; nieces, Jennifer (Christopher) Theiste and family of Plymouth, MN, and Tara (Jonathan) Fink and family of Minnetonka, MN.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents and sister and brother-in-law, Carol and Marvin Knickrehm. Blessed be the memory of Jerry Eugene Kalvik.