John Ermer

john ermer
John Francis Ermer, age 67, of Fargo, ND died Saturday, August 15, 2020 at Sanford Hospice House, Fargo after a 1.5 year battle with pancreatic cancer. John was born on May 28, 1953 in Langdon, ND to John and Mary (Ferguson) Ermer. He was raised on the family farm northwest of Walhalla, ND along with his three siblings. The family farm at Walhalla remained a treasure throughout John’s life. After graduating from Walhalla High School, John went to the University of North Dakota where he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1975 with a degree in business administration and continued lifelong friendships with several individuals he met at Walsh Hall. He then obtained his certified public accountant (CPA) license and began his life-long career in public accounting in Fargo, ND in 1975. In 1983, he established his own office and operated as a sole practitioner until 2020. John enjoyed the long-time work relationships he established with his clients throughout the years. John was an active member of the Church of Nativity in Fargo, ND. He served on the finance council and was part of its proclaimer ministry for many years. He was also actively involved in the many activities of the Church’s Knights of Columbus council throughout the years. John was also a long-time member of the Fargo Moorhead YMCA where he enjoyed working out and the camaraderie of friendship with many of the members there. Besides working out at the “Y”, John also enjoyed “working out” at the family farm in the summer keeping grass, trees and weeds under control along with his brothers. He could be seen often on his bicycle on the streets and bike paths throughout Fargo, as well as a weekly trip in the summer to the Hawley Golf Club to chase after errant golf balls. He enjoyed annual deer hunting trips for many years with family and other friends, and the annual fishing trip to Lake of the Woods with friends from Nativity Church. John is survived by his sister, Betty (Gordon) Harlow, Fargo, his brothers, Fr. James Ermer, Casselton, ND and Kenneth (Julie) Ermer, Eden Prairie, MN, nieces, Lisa (Dan) Harlow and Dr. Tanya Harlow, nephews, Christopher (Doris) Harlow, Jason (Amanda) Ermer, and Jordan Ermer, and great nephews/nieces, Eric, Amber (Jacob), Ian and Mercury. He was preceded in death by his parents John and Mary as well as grandparents John and Anna Ermer and Archibald and Elsie Ferguson. Prayer Service: 7:00 P.M. Thursday, August 20, 2020 at Nativity Catholic Church, Fargo with visitation starting at 6:00 P.M. Mass of Christian Burial: 10:00 A.M. Friday, August 21, 2020 at Nativity Catholic Church, Fargo. Burial: 3:00 P.M. Friday, August 21, 2020 at St. Boniface Cemetery, Walhalla, ND. Masks are required at all events. John’s services will be live streamed on Boulger Funeral Home’s website for those unable to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Roger Maris Cancer Center or St. Boniface Catholic Church, Walhalla, ND.

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  1. Blessings to John as you now enter into Heaven. Our hearts are heavy, but many wonderful memories fill us with love. You fought the hard fight, you lived life well… and now, your just rewards.

  2. I have many good memories of when we were visiting my Grandma Gapp in Walhalla & spending time with our “Ermer Cousins” who lived across the hill. Those are great memories.

    John was a good man.I remember how he so eloquently spoke, at his mom’s prayer service last September, of how she taught them their prayers and in which order they ALWAYS recited them…..sounded familiar, as that’s how we learned them, too. John lived his faith and will be rewarded now with God’s promises of life everlasting.May he rest in peace.

    Love, Steve & Jane (Ermer) Metzger

  3. John was my wife’s (Til) nephew. He always took the time to visit with us when we would
    into him at Mass at Nativity. He was a good guy. May he rest in peace.

    Ron Tellinghusen

  4. John was amazing. One of first people I met at Nativity. Growing up in neighboring towns we knew a lot of same people.

    Rest in Peace John

  5. My sympathies to the Ermer family on losing the great turkey hunter. Hope you find the bigest bearded turkey out there and you take my brother with you.

  6. What a friend we have in Jesus.
    What a firiend we had inJohn.
    Truly a great man,In business and socially
    Always there for us .
    He will be missed by many and never forgotten.
    God Bless you John! Rest In Peace.

  7. my heartfelt prayers and thoughts to the Ermer Families on their loss. cherish your memories of John and always keep them close to your hearts. May he Rest in Peace. i will be thinking of you all- especially Fr. James Ermer -whom i met many years ago when i visited Fr. Dennis Skonseng and Fr. Brian Donahue-whom are now both Monsignors. John is now at the table of the lamb and pain free. With Peace and Love in Christ, Mark J.VonBank-Park Rapids, Mn.

  8. Blessings to you and Gordie and your children and grandchildren. So fun to hear the stories of John over the years. So hard to lose a brother. Please accept our condolences and love. Sue and Charlie Petry

  9. My thoughts & prayers go out to the John Ermer family- so sorry for your loss!! Ruth (Vondal) Cameron

  10. In 1971 I met John, but always Ernie to us, in Walsh Hall at UND and we continued our friendship for 59 years. There was no truer friend or finer person. He lives on in memories of hikes in Glacier and canoeing in the Boundary Waters, hockey games in Grand Forks, the Red Pepper and endless games of pinochle.
    My condolences to his family, Lois and I share your loss. He lives on in Christ.

  11. We are saddened to hear of John’s passing. He was a wonderful man. I fondly remember many things about him. John was so helpful to our father Howard Wrigley (he passed away in 2015) as the accountant for Wrigley Mechanical. When I worked summers counting inventory at Wrigley, John would always come in and give me a hard time about counting every single bolt and washer- there were thousands of them. He wasn’t always happy with my “estimating” of the inventory and would smile, put his head down and walk away. 🙂 John will be missed. Thinking of his family during this time.

  12. Lynette, Glenn, Randy and Denise Ermer – Our deepest sympathy to John’s family. May your many memories and God’s love help you through the days ahead.

  13. For the past three years, we have been office neighbors at Gateway Plaza. John has always been cheerful, upbeat, and pleasant. He was the ultimate professional and always a gentleman. I will treasure the memory of a remarkable man. My sister succumbed to pancreatic cancer four years ago — so my sympathies run deep. Rest in peace, John. You made your mark in this world. May the next world exceed your expectations and hopes. God be with you.

  14. It is with mourning that I heard of the death of your brother John.. It is a consolation of our faith that he is now nearer to us, can love us and pray for us – not before a statue or with a prayer book, but in the very Beatific Vision of God and in the total communion of Saints. I am sure that he will take our remembrance of him and make it a part of his thanksgiving in heaven.
    John was so fortunate to be surrounded with your love, your tears, your laughter and your sharing of memories. I’m sure it is a sacred time for your Family. We do know that he went on to a greater love than any of us can imagine.
    As you know, grief takes many forms and may we counter the pain of John’s physical absence with gratitude for the inordinate number of years you were blessed with his joyous presence and all your wonderful memories of those years.

    Peace be with you,

  15. Sorry for the loss! I met John a few years back when some friends and I helped him and brother ken shingle there family house, a couple years later we got together again to build a new garage on the family homestead, he was always a hard worker and a man of few words! I think he wondered where all the aluminum came from “90 Beers” going to miss you at the farm.

  16. to John’s family: I am sorry for your loss. John was our long-time CPA. He was very professional but always took time to visit. He was a nice person.

  17. Thoughts and prayers go out to John’s family. So sorry for your loss. John was the class president our Junior and Senior yrs of high school in Walhalla. He was such a nice guy… a friend to all. He will surely be missed.

  18. Our sympathies on the loss of your brother. Prayers going out to the family. Take care n God bless.

  19. I remember how much fun we had hiking with our Ermer cousins when we came to Walhalla.The six of us would walk for hours.John was a good man. I can remember how he attended my Mom’s prayer service a little over a year ago when he was barely out of the hospital himself.Jesus has rewarded John with a special place in heaven.I’m sure his Mom and Dad were thrilled to welcome him home.

  20. John was a member of a small, four-man group from Fargo-Moorhead with the odd habit of meeting on Thursday night for a single beer and something to eat at a place called “Tailgators” just off of Main Ave and University in Fargo. This meeting, which started at 6:30 or 7pm, only lasted about an hour and only happened between January until a little beyond April 15th. My own association with the group ran for about 13 years, though it’d been going for some time before that. John and another CPA, Ben Yasgar, you see, had been meeting like this as a brief break on Thursdays to get away from the mayhem of the tax season, at which time the 12-14 hour days would end and their summer routine would begin–playing golf in the afternoons on Thursdays as soon as the courses opened.

    The Thursday night meetings were truly events–for them a means of getting away from the office and for me a weekly means of getting out of the confines of the house in the bitter cold of winter. Within a year-or-two, a fourth fellow, Miles, would join the visits and it became a sort of tradition for well over a decade. When the meetings started in January, John was usually the first to arrive to grab a favorite table. Shortly all would arrive, sometimes someone’s friend, sibling or other relative might add to the group.

    The meetings became a means of sharing the latest on one another’s lives, to maybe ask a quick tax question from the non-CPA’s, to recall memories of college or military service or just about anything…it was truly enjoyable to sit with these three fellows and John was central to the experience. It was rare for John to miss any meetings, but a new job that kept me out beyond 7pm evenings saw my visits become much more seldom. It was during this period I learned John was dealing with cancer. On my occasional visits, John’s absence was certainly noticed.

    In October, I took a transfer with my company from Fargo to Salt Lake City, UT, knowing I’d occasionally get recalled to Fargo to work. Perhaps John would be back at the table on one of those visits…it was not to be. It was with considerable sadness and reflection I got a text last weekend from Ben saying John had passed.

    I guess I just wanted folks to know that for a small group of older, mostly-retired guys, John’s time on this earth meant a lot of laughs, an occasional tear and a few more stories shared that will certainly be remembered for a very long time. Thank you, John, for sharing your time. Condolences to the family.

  21. John and I were classmates all through school from St. Boniface through Walhalla High School. He was a nice guy, and I remember how smart he was. RIP John.

  22. I was introduced to John by my father n law 30 years ago when I needed help with tax preparation. Over that time John was a solid advisor and mentor. Many times he expressed his frustration with my inability to digest accounting. On more than one occasion he had to deliver bad news, but the day he told me “your little business has turned out pretty well” was a true milestone.

    We shared conservative values, a love of the outdoors, and a passion for the Fighting Sioux. RIP John. Thanks for helping us. We wouldn’t have made it without you.

  23. Our sincere sympathy to all the family,they were the best of neighbors and great Christian people who lived their faith,God bless John and may he rest in peace.

  24. As Jack’s Cousin, I’ve known him my whole life. It was always a great fun as a child to go to the farm, to be around the farm animals, the open spaces, and the beautiful farm house that our Grandfather built. It seemed that it was usually Jack that I would end up ‘hanging around’ with simply because we were about the same age, he being a year older. It was glorious times…. hunting gophers, climbing around the original old farm house, being in the barn, & exploring the creak. Then there always the big meal put on by Mary in the country kitchen.
    After College Jack was my companion on several trips to the Boundary Waters including an extended trip up into Canada. Before leaving on the longest trip he agreed to leave all time pieces in the car so we could get ‘back to nature’. But not knowing what time it is it torture for a CPA, especially Jack, so the once a day when we would actually cross paths with other humans, the first thing Jack would ask is “Do you know what time it is?”.
    Jack was the most honest straight shooter and devout Christian I have known. I’ll miss him as the for all the good times and memories we shared. May he rest forever in the love of our Lord.

  25. Terry Volk
    I met John (Ernie) in Walsh Hall at UND in 1971 and stayed friends since. Along with other friends we went on trips to the Boundary Waters, hiking in Montana, our annual trip to Grand Forks to see a Sioux hockey game and a road trip to Missoula to see a UND football game. He was a great guy, great friend and my accountant since 1976. He never let me use my imagination during tax season. Way too honest. Rest in peace Ernie.

  26. My sincere sympathy for all of John’s family and friends. I knew John as a very friendly kind man. Always a smile and hello. He was just himself no matter where I would see him. Laughter was his trademark. He would be where the after 7:45 AM
    Mass group gathered in the cafeteria Sunday mornings.
    He will be missed for sure. May he Rest In Peace and find comfort in his new heavenly home. Peace for family. 🙏

  27. I am saddened for your loss but based on his life of love and service, he now dines in the Kingdom of God.
    May his love and friendship live on in your hearts.


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