Charles Herman Thielman

Charles’ services will be livestreamed and viewable below on Monday, September 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM and Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM.

Charles Herman Thielman (90) of Fargo passed away peacefully and surrounded by his family on September 10, 2026.

Charles was born on September 6, 1936, to Herman and Viola (Poehls) Thielman in Page, North Dakota. He attended a country school and later Page Public School. He graduated from Page, after spending his sophomore and junior years of high school in Perham, MN, where he lived with and helped his aunt and uncle on their farm after his father passed away. He began his career as a mechanic with John Deere in 1954.

In 1962, Charles was drafted into the United States Army. He proudly served our country for two years. He drove an M58 tank in the 2nd Armored Division. He loved being known as “Hell on Wheels!” He always enjoyed sharing stories about his many adventures on the military bases in the U.S. and Germany.

On May 31, 1965, Charles married the love of his life, Jean (Roholt) in Esmond, ND. They were blessed with two children, Sandra and Gregg. Together they shared 61 years of marriage, building a life centered on faith, family, friends, hard work and community.

Charles worked at John Deere in Page, Maddock and Hope until 1973, when he purchased “Charlie’s Service” in Maddock, ND. He was known not only for his mechanical skills, but for the way he cared for his customers and the communities he lived in. The coffee pot was always on, and cookies were always waiting for those who stopped by.

In 1992, Charles and Jean moved to Lisbon, ND, where he worked for John Deere for another 18 years. After he retired from fixing tractors, he found joy in working at St. Aloysious Catholic Church doing maintenance and being caretaker at their cemetery. He also worked doing maintenance at the Bevery Ann Assisted Living. He and Jean moved to Fargo in 2013 to be closer to family.

Charles had a gift for fixing and restoring things, large and complicated, or small and simple. He found joy in creating beautiful pieces from wood for others. He even built a vintage car to drive in parades! He took pride in his work and was generous with his knowledge, teaching others not only a trade, but the patience, persistence and practical skills that served them throughout their lives. He also enjoyed buying and remodeling homes, hunting, fishing, car racing and anything NDSU Bison. He belonged to the Maddock Commercial Club and was proud to be a volunteer fireman for over 25 years.

Faith was at the heart of Charles’ life. He was a faithful member of the Catholic Church, a Eucharistic Minister, served on the church council and was always willing to take care of what needed to be done on the buildings and grounds of the churches he belonged to. He found peace in weekly Adoration, daily Mass, and praying the rosary.

Charles’s greatest joy was being with his family. He was always ready to babysit his grandchildren and in recent years, nothing brought him more happiness than holding his great-grandchildren and watching them grow. His stories, his steady presence, his willingness to help and his love for his family will be deeply missed, but his legacy will live on through the lives he touched.

Charles is survived by his wife, Jean; his children, Sandra (Claire) Seefeldt and C. Gregg (Laurie) Thielman; his grandchildren, Sean (Sarah) Seefeldt, Miles (Cara) Seefeldt, Aaron Seefeldt, Charlie (Claire) Thielman, Mason Thielman, Anna Seefeldt, and Emelia (Josiah) Harper; his great-grandchildren, Isla, Josie, Colton, and Peter Seefeldt and Rosemary Thielman; and his brothers Allen (Carol) Thielman and John Thielman.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his great-grandson, Theodore Seefeldt; his sisters and their spouses, Marlis (Ed) Olsen, Janice (Allen) Langdahl, and Beverly (Lyle) Goreham; his sister-in-law, Janice Thielman; and his brothers-in-law and their spouses, Glen (Ann) Gumeringer and Robert (Mildred) Gumeringer.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to encourage donations be made to HIA Hospice and masses for Charlie.

Visitation will be held at Boulger Funeral Home (123 10th St S, Fargo) on Monday, 9/21 from 6-7 pm, followed by a Prayer Service at 7 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 am at St. Mary’s Cathedral (619 7th St N, Fargo, ND). Visitation will begin at 9:00 am, and the Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 am. A private burial will be held at the cemetery in Grand Rapids, N.D. later in the day.

Thank you to HIA Hospice for the wonderful care over the past five months.