Gerald "Toot" Gregor

Gerald “Toot” Gregor passed away on November 27, 2024 at Bethany on 42nd. Toot was born on April 20th, 1936 in Breckenridge, MN to Louis and Hazel Gregor.

Toot lived in Fairmount, ND for the first 7 years of his life and then the family moved to West Fargo, ND where he went through his schooling. After graduating in 1954, he tried to enter the service but didn’t pass the physical.

He then took a job at the Union Stockyards in West Fargo until 1976. He then went driving Semi for a few different companies ending up with Nash Finch for the last 13 of his working years. He loved working for Nash Finch, but after the bad winter of 1996-1997 when we got 116 inches of snow, he said he was going to retire as soon as he could. He retired from Nash Finch on September 18th, 1998 at 9:03 AM and never drove a truck again.

He married Sharon Rootham on July 26, 1958 in West Fargo, ND. Of that marriage two children were born, Dennis Gregor and Denise (Gregor) Elvecrog. September 1980 this marriage ended in a divorce.

Many people asked how Toot got his nickname, he told us when he lived in Fairmount, their neighbor was the depot agent. They had a daughter that Toot played with and the two of them would go over to the depot to see her dad. This one time, there was a box car at the unloading dock and the engine was going to move it. Toot got in the box car unseen and was going to ride it to the end of the dock and jump out, but they were already going too fast for him to get out. When they got the box car out where they were going to leave it so it could be picked up by a passing train. Toot was crying and the train crew heard him and took him down and they had to give him a ride back into town in the engine. Toot said he told everyone he saw that he had a ride in a toot toot train.

Toot met the true love of his life Dee (Charbonneau) Hansen, in the fall of 1981. They went together for 5 years and finely Dee was able to haul him in. She said he was one hard fish to pull in. They got married on June 28, 1986.

They did a lot of traveling together and went on 4 cruises, which they both thought were great. After Dee retired April 1, 2005, they tried something different for both of them, they decided to spend the winters in Florida.

They spent 5 winters in Fort Walton Beach, FL. and made a lot of new friends.

The winter of 2011, they thought they would stay in Fargo, he said we did the right thing because that was the nicest winter weather-wise in Fargo in a long time. They were going to go back South in 2012, but Dee developed cancer and died on November 7, 2012. Since her passing, life had not been the same for Toot. He said “don’t shed any tears because I am gone, because I am right where I want to be, right next to my wife Dee. Yes, I will miss my loved ones, my children, stepchildren, brothers & sisters in-laws, and my extended family. They all did a good job of keeping me involved with family doings, I can’t thank them enough”

Toot is survived by two children Dennis (friend Laurie Meide) Gregor West Fargo, ND and Denise (Jeff) Elvecrog Sioux Falls, SD; three stepchildren Daniel Hansen Naples FL, Thomas Hansen Golden Valley, MN and Robert (Amanda) Hansen West Fargo, ND; 5 grandchildren, 2 step-grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, 5 sisters-in-law, and 2 brothers-in-law.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife Dee, his parents, 4 fathers and mothers-in-law, 4 brothers: Lambert, John, Bob, and Vincent; 2 sisters-in-law: Ona Jean & Mayburn Gregor and 1 brother-in-law Kevin Mickelson, M.D.