Duane Beltz

The funeral service for Duane Beltz will be held 11 AM Saturday at Marsh River Lutheran Church in Shelly, Minnesota. Family and friends will be received at the Wildeman Funeral Home in Hillsboro, North Dakota, on Friday from 7 - 8 PM. Duane passed away on Monday, July 21, 2003, at the Kirkland Nursing Home in Amarillo, Texas, at the age of 69. He had been in hospice care in Amarillo, TX, since January 2003. Duane Philip Beltz was born to parents Otto H.J. and Nora O. (Bohnsack) Beltz on October 29, 1933, in Hillsboro, North Dakota. He was from a third generation at the Beltz family farm in Hillsboro. Duane served three years in the U.S. Army and was stationed overseas at La Rochelle, France. The first Beltz to attend college (Crookston, MN), Duane studied for his background in farming, mechanics, and welding. He semi-retired in Wellington in 1994 with his wife, Cecelia (Sally) A. Hoffman, whom he married in 1955. She was the daughter of Sylvester and Thelma M. (Bush) Hoffman. While living in Wellington, Duane had worked for Troy Gene Thomason and the Farmer??s Co-Op Gin prior to his full retirement. A self-proclaimed "Rebel Without A Cause," Duane was noted for various escapades as a youngster and as an adult. However, his main forte was farming and "The Master Shade Tree Mechanic" who could diagnose and fix just about anything fixable. He also helped a number of people through his sponsorship in AA from 1975 onward. Along with raising a family, Duane and Sally raised several foster children. Duane was preceded in death in 1998, by his beloved wife of 43 years, Sally, and his sister, Laura Rood of Brooten, Minnesota, in 1997. Duane and Sally are survived by two daughters, Sandra Jo (Beltz) Martin of Wellington, TX, who was born in Ada, MN, and Mary Beltz of Fargo, ND, who was born in La Rochelle, France. A son, Michael, who resides in Caledonia, ND, was born in Springfield, IL. A third daughter, Catherine (Laman) (Beltz) Sperl was adopted in 1985; she currently resides in Hillsboro. Grandsons, Tom and David Ellis both reside in Grand Forks, ND; and a brother, Paul Beltz resides in Moorhead, MN. A great granddaughter, Alyssa Mae Ellis, was born June 7, 2003, and resides in Grand Forks, ND. The family requests that all memorials be given to the local hospice chapter. Arrangements by Wildeman Funeral Home, Hillsboro. Online guestbook at www.boulgerfuneralhome.com.