Walter Pillsbury

Walter Winfield Pillsbury, age 72, passed away suddenly on November 18th at Scottsdale Osborn Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was born October 27, 1936, in Minneapolis, Minnesota to the late Walter and Gladys (Lien) Pillsbury. He graduated from Washburn High School in 1954. After high school, Walter joined the U.S. Marines and was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. He spent time at Camp Desert Rock in Nevada where he took part in five atomic tests. He was honorably discharged in 1956. After his military service, Walter attended the University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University, graduating in 1960. In 1961, he began his career with Crawford and Company as a Claims Adjuster. On August 25, 1962, he was united in marriage to Margaret L. Gade in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1967, Walter approached Crawford and Co. and asked to open his own office in Fargo, North Dakota. It was a risky proposition, neither he nor wife Margaret had ever been to Fargo before, and he would not be paid a salary, only commissions on the business he would build. They had just started a family, son Gary was four and Margaret was pregnant with daughter Jennifer. They moved to Fargo and Walter grew the business eventually opening offices in Grand Forks, Bismarck, Minot, and Fergus Falls. He retired in 1996, after a very successful career that spanned thirty-five years. Walter enjoyed his retirement, spending his summers at the cabin on Pelican Lake and winters in Mesa, Arizona. Walter loved reading, walking, golfing, watching his beloved Minnesota Vikings, a cocktail at five with friends, and spending time with his wife, children, and six grandchildren. Walter was a 32nd degree mason who was active in the North Dakota Masonic Bodies. He was a member of ND Shiloh Lodge #1, a lifetime member of El Zagal Shrine Temple - the Ritualistic Divan, and the Jesters of El Zagal Temple, as well as a member of the Scottish Rite. Walter was also a member of the Blue Goose International, a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge, and a member of the American Legion. He was instrumental in starting the Fargo-Moorhead Insurance Claims Association. He was involved in starting the Northside Raiders Hockey League and the Fargo-Moorhead midget football league. Walter is survived by his wife, Margaret (Mesa, AZ), his son and his wife, Gary and Margaret Pillsbury (St. Cloud, MN); his daughter and her husband, Jennifer and Jeff Jacoby (Denver, CO); six grandchildren, Makenzie, Nathan, and Theodore Pillsbury and Hannah, Heidi, and Halle Jacoby; one brother, Warren Pillsbury (Plymouth, MN); one sister, Alice Smith (Stillwater, MN). He is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. Funeral services for Walter W. Pillsbury will be at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 25, at First Lutheran Church, 619 N. Broadway, Fargo, ND. The Rev. Jim Bjorge, pastor, will officiate. Lunch will be served following the service.