Valentine Rohrich

Valentine Rohrich

STEELE - Valentine J. "Val" Rohrich, 81, Steele, died May 28, 2007, at a Bismarck hospital. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 31, at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Steele, with the Rev. Jerome Hunckler officiating. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Steele.

Visitation will be held from noon to 9 p.m. today at Eastgate Steele Memorial Chapel, where prayer services will be held at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church.

Valentine was born July 8, 1925, the son of John and Johanna (Bitz) Rohrich, at Napoleon. He grew up and attended country school in Napoleon. Valentine joined the U.S. Navy, in 1945, and served as gunners mate aboard the USS Pierce Destroyer in the Pacific Theater. After his discharge, he returned to North Dakota and began farming in Steele. He met Betty Quale and they were married Oct. 10, 1951, in Bismarck. Together, Val and Betty bought a farm north of Steele, where they raised seven children, small grain crops, cattle and sheep.

Val was well-known at auction sales throughout North Dakota, buying and selling machinery and vehicles being one of his greatest pleasures. He was affectionately nicknamed the "candy man," as he always had candy in his pockets for everyone he saw and stopped to greet. Val was a member of the American Legion Dawson Post No. 231, the Knights of Columbus and St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church.

He is survived by his wife, Betty; four sons and two daughters, Jerry (Char), Robert (Mary) and Brian (Glenda), all of Steele, Val Jr., Melcher, Iowa, Delilah "Toots" (Dave) Bresset, Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Judy (Derrick) Black, New York City; 19 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; one brother, Joe Rohrich; and five sisters, Betty Kaplan, Katherine Bauer, Frances Heinze, Jean Persoon and Mary Ann Hittleson.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Bradley John; two sisters, Maggie and Margaret; and five brothers, Clem, John Jr., George, Eddie and John.

Go to www.eastgatefuneral.com to share memories of Val and sign the online guest book.