Roger L. Pfeiffer

February 24, 1939 – July 15, 2025
Roger L. Pfeiffer, 86, passed away in Minneapolis on July 15, 2025, with his family at his side. A funeral service will be held on Friday, July 25, at 11:30 a.m. at House of Prayer Lutheran Church, 1470 S Washington St., Bismarck, ND. The family will receive visitors beginning at 10:30 a.m. A luncheon will follow the service to celebrate Roger's life and legacy. A private family interment will be held at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan.
Born near Redstone, Montana, to Linden and Emma (Severson) Pfeiffer, Roger was deeply proud of his rural Montana heritage where he learned the value of hard work on the family farm. He graduated from Plentywood High School where he participated in the sport of rodeo, was a member of FFA, and went on to live a full life of integrity, humility, and hard work rooted in his deep faith in the Lord.
Roger proudly served in the Army Reserve in Montana before discovering his lifelong passion for aviation. In 1960, Roger traveled to Alaska to work as a mechanic's helper on the D.E.W. Line. That experience led him to pursue flight training at American Flyers in 1961. His aviation career spanned nearly 50 years, during which he flew more than 35 different aircraft models and logged over 18,000 hours of flight time. In 1962, Roger began flying commercially for Dickinson Air Service where he did charter flights, flight instruction, power line patrol, crop spraying, and ski flying in the winter blizzards in 1964 and 1966.
He married Sally Zastoupil in 1964 in Dickinson, ND, after a courtship that started at the Buckaroo where he always ordered a ribeye steak with "no onions". They resided on the Dickinson Airport with their dog, Turk, before moving to Bismarck where they raised two children, Karmen and Linden.
Roger served the State of North Dakota as a pilot for 39 years. He joined the North Dakota Highway Department in 1966 and later served as the Assistant Director and Chief Pilot for the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission for 26 years until his retirement in 2007. During his career, he proudly flew every North Dakota Governor from 1966 through 2007 and quite literally mapped the state by flying every section line-twice. Roger was inducted into the North Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame in 2009. In recognition of his exceptional service and safety record, he received the Flight Safety Achievement Award in 1991 for 10,000 safe pilot-in-command hours on behalf of the State of North Dakota.
Roger was an active member in numerous organizations, including the North Dakota Aviation Council (serving over 20 years as secretary), the North Dakota Flying Farmers (21 years as secretary), the North Dakota Agricultural Aviation Association, and the NASAO Aviation Research and Education Board. He loved attending annual NASAO conventions with Sally. Roger was a life member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and served on his church council.
Those who knew Roger remember him as a kind, honest, and humble man who never met a stranger. Whether standing in line at the grocery store, at the FBO, or in the hotel lobby, Roger was always ready to strike up a conversation. He had a remarkable memory for first names and faces and seemed to know someone in every town and airport he visited.
He is survived by his daughter, Dr. Karmen (Bart) Sorenson of Bismarck, ND; his son, Dr. Linden (Julie) Pfeiffer of Hastings, MN; his cherished grandchildren, Aiden, Elias, and Olivia Pfeiffer and Bridger Sorenson; his brother, Larry Pfeiffer of Great Falls, MT; his sister-in-law, Marcella Knight of Bismarck; and many dear relatives and lifelong friends. Roger was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Jackie, and his beloved wife of 56 years, Sally.
Roger's legacy lives on in the skies he loved and the lives he touched.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Bismarck, ND or the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, ND.