Robert Geston

Tribute Video: https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/XZLTLDHW56ZKN6KY

Memorial Service: https://vimeo.com/event/4851327

Robert "Bob" Geston, 96, of Fargo, ND, died on January 11, 2025. A memorial service will be held at Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home, 215 7th Street South, Fargo, ND, at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 16, 2025.

Bob was born August 5, 1928 to Johannes "Joe" and Gudrun "Gunna" (Thomasson) Geston on their farm near the Icelandic-American community of Gardar, ND, a location Bob more accurately described as "North Dakota, Pembina County, Gardar Township, Section 13, northeast quarter." He was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by wife Virginia, son Douglas (Mary Kay) and their children Andrew (Shadi Memarian) Geston and Marit (Ryan) Ripley, son Scott (Cindy) and their children Tori (Jon) Bown and Jonas Geston, son Christopher (Laurie) Geston and their children Gunnar and Bennett, great-grandchildren John and Margot Ripley and Scarlett Bown, sister and brother-in-law Paula and Bill Heigaard and sister-in-law Marian Halgrimson Fagerholt.

Bob graduated from Gardar High School in 1946, then attended North Dakota Agricultural College (now NDSU) where he was a standout basketball player. While a student at NDAC he met Virgina (Ginny) Douglas who had heard of his playing for the Bison and agreed to go on a double date to a movie in Grafton. Bob fell asleep on the drive home, but Ginny didn't seem to mind, especially since he wasn't the driver. Their romance flourished and they were married on November 5, 1950 in Ginny's home town of Hoople, ND. After graduating from NDAC with a degree in agronomy, Bob returned to Gardar to farm with his father and was hired as the basketball coach for nearby Edinburg, ND, High School. He was drafted into the US Army where he served in counterintelligence until his discharge in 1953. Following military service Bob went back to teaching and coaching until deciding to pursue a masters degree in education with a science minor at NDAC. Early in the program he enrolled in a comparative anatomy class to partially satisfy the requirements for the science minor. After doing better than the pre-med students in the class, he figured that changing career paths might be a good idea and with Ginny's support switched his major to pre-med. The couple moved to Grand Forks where he began medical school at the University of North Dakota. At the time UND only offered the first two years of training, so he transferred to the University of Iowa to complete his M.D. degree. After interning in Duluth, MN, he accepted an invitation to join the West Fargo (ND) Medical Center in 1961 as the second doctor. He was on the staff of St. John's Hospital in Fargo where he was chief of staff for a time, and on the courtesy staff of St. Luke's (MeritCare) and Dakota Hospitals in Fargo and St. Ansgar Hospital in Moorhead, and was an Associate Clinical Professor for the UND Medical School. He practiced family medicine in West Fargo for 34 years until his retirement at the end of 1995.

During his time in West Fargo, Bob was active in many civic organizations. He was a member of the church council and a Sunday School teacher at Faith Lutheran Church in West Fargo and served as president of the West Fargo Rotary Club, the District Medical Society, the North Dakota Medical Association and the North Dakota Academy of Family Physicians. He was on the boards of the NDSU Development Foundation, which he chaired from 1995-1997, the North Dakota Professional Standards Review, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Dakota, and was chair of the 13th Legislative District Republicans. Bob received many awards, among them the Professional and Community Service Award from the North Dakota Medical Association, the Family Physician of the Year from the North Dakota Association of Family Physicians and the Outstanding Alumnus Award from NDSU. His enthusiasm for and support of NDSU Bison athletics was exemplary. He was a long-time member of the NDSU TeamMakers and served a term as the organization's president.

Following his retirement he continued to work part time for several years at the MeritCare walk-in clinic and the Fargo VA Medical Center. He returned to his farming roots on a small scale, actively caring for the yard and flower gardens at the Geston lake home. His grilled lamb chops and Texas waffles were a mainstay of summer family gatherings at the lake. His grandchildren were delighted to have Papa Bob teach them to drive the golf cart and then let them motor off to explore the area, and less delighted when he had them help with yard work. He and Ginny enjoyed traveling and spending time in Destin, FL to escape the coldest part of North Dakota winters. He was an avid tennis player and continued to play into his 80s.

Bob will be fondly remembered by his family, friends and patients for his lively sense of humor. He was often called upon to participate in or emcee charity roasts of prominent local personalities. He developed and presented humorous talks about growing up in a small Icelandic community and the challenges of having a small, independent medical practice at a time when large corporate entities were starting to become the norm in health care delivery. Those public expressions were complemented by his ability to weave humor into personal interactions. His quips and antics elicited smiles, laughter and sometimes groans from patients and colleagues. But humor was only part of what made him an excellent physician; it was the outer layer on a core of empathy, devotion to excellence, hard work and continuous learning that characterized his professional life. It's no wonder that his community wholeheartedly embraced his self-ascribed moniker of "Dr. Wonderful."

In lieu of flowers, memorials in his name are preferred to the NDSU Foundation ( https://ndsufoundation.com/explore-giving-opportunities )