Dr. Victor Keltgen

The Funeral Mass for Dr. Victor B. Keltgen will be held 10 AM Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at St. Mary?s Cathedral in Fargo. There will be a prayer service at 5 PM Monday in Boulger Funeral Home. Visitation will be one hour prior to the funeral in the church on Tuesday. Burial will be held in Holy Cross Cemetery in Fargo. Victor passed away on Friday, March 21, 2003, at MeritCare Hospital in Fargo at the age of 86. Dr. Keltgen was born on May 3, 1916, in Jud, North Dakota. He graduated from St. John?s Academy in 1933 and from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1939. As a dentist, he served four years in the United States Air Force in World War II, including two years overseas. Dr. Keltgen practiced dentistry in North Dakota for approximately forty-five years. He began his career in Streeter, moved to Kulm, and then after World War II, settled in Fargo. Dr. Keltgen held all offices in the North Dakota Dental Association. He also served as a North Dakota Dental Association delegate. In 1960, as President of the North Dakota Dental Association, he successfully led a campaign in Fargo for the fluoridation of the Fargo water supply. With the support of the Fargo dentists and medical community, he overcame considerable public opposition, making Fargo one of the earliest cities in the United States to fluoridate its water. Dr. Keltgen was always active in promoting the dental profession, held all the offices in the Southeast District Dental Society and served as editor of Northwest Dentistry from 1949 - 1952. He enjoyed the outdoor life and was an avid hunter and fisherman all of his life. He is survived by four sisters and two brothers: Marcella Urlaub, Fargo; Rita Gallagher, Benson, Minnesota; Katherine Ubowski, Phoenix, Arizona; Doris Bower, Fargo; Bill Keltgen, Fargo; and John Keltgen, El Dorado Hills, California. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Katherine Keltgen, and three sisters, Marian Jones, Zita Geoffroy and Jeanette Keltgen. (Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo)