Alfred A. Schock

Alfred A. (Al) Schock

Alfred A. (Al) Schock was born on July 7, 1934 at Turtle Lake, N.D., a son of Gottfried and Olga (Schadler) Schock. He was baptized as an infant and was confirmed as a teenager in the Lutheran Faith. Al grew up on the family farm east of Turtle Lake, attended Turtle Lake grade and high school and graduated in 1952 after which he attended Bismarck Junior College majoring in Business Administration.

In August of 1954 Al was called into the army during the Korean War. He received his basic physical training and an additional eight weeks of military office training at Fort Leonardwood, Mo. Upon completion of basic training, he was assigned to the Headquarters 8th Ordinance Battalion in Hanau, Germany. After competing his tour of military duty in 1956, he was honorably discharged and returned to the family farm and began what was a successful farming and ranching operation.

In 1957 he married Lois Olson and continued farming until 1976 when he was injured in a career ending farm accident. While living in Turtle Lake, Al was very active in the community serving the Trinity Lutheran Church Council, president of the Turtle Lake Fire Department, member of the board of directors of the Turtle Lake School, chairman of the Boad of Directors for the Township and a charter member of the Lions Club.

In 1978 an ad that appeared in the newspaper stating that a hardware store was for sale in Beulah, N.D. caught Al's attention. Having studied business administration in college and having worked in retail during college, Al answered the ad and purchased the store in the summer of 1978 and opened for business in October.

In July 1979, Al married Suzan Lee of Turtle Lake and together they owned and operated what was then the Coast to Coast Hardware Store until Al retired. While in business, Al was a real promotor and loved the community. He served as a member of the church council of Zion Lutheran Church, the Board of Directors of the Knife River Care Center, the Board of Directors of Security State Bank, and was appointed by the governor of North Dakota to serve on the Job Training Board of Directors for the state of North Dakota. While President of the Chamber of Commerce, Al was able to acquire a local branch office for West River Telephone. Also, with the help of the Beulah Mayor, they were able to acquire a branch office of the Motor Vehicle Department of the state of North Dakota.

After retiring from the hardware store, Al was approached by the director of Seibel Funeral Home, to be an assistant. Because Al enjoyed people he accepted the opportunity and worked with him for the next five years until Al decided to spend his winters at his winter home in South Texas and his summers at their summer home at Blue Lake, N.D. In 2016 Al and Sue returned to Beulah for the summers and continued to enjoy Texas in the winter. While retaining their membership in Zion Lutheran Church in Beulah they also became very active associate members of the Fishers of Men Lutheran Church in Port Isabel, Texas. Al was a life member of various church choirs for more than 65 years and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He was also an avid hunter and enjoyed hunting Mule Deer with his sons in the Badlands of North Dakota. Having played football and basketball in high school, Al was an enthusiastic supporter of the athletic programs of both Beulah and Turtle Lake.

Al is survived by his wife, Suzan; three sons: Steve, Rapid City, S.D., Paul (Kim), Beulah, N.D., and Jonathan (Holly), Alexandria, Minn.; three daughters: Jodi (Dennis) Moore, Gladstone, N.D., Sarah (Clay) Jenkins, Grapevine, Texas, Heidi (Robb) Moore, Beulah N.D.; two sisters-in-law: Erna Schock, Miles City, Mont., Jan Schock, Turtle Lake, N.D.; 13 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one infant brother, Albert; his brothers: Walt, Herb, Rudy, Reuben and sisters-in-law: Louise and Joyce; two sisters: Violet and Rubyjean and brothers-in-law: Chuck Helvik and Bob Hudson; one great-grandchild, Cadence Erickson.

Funeral arrangements pending Barbot Funeral Home in Beulah, N.D., summer 2025.