James "Jim" Vetter

James (Jim) Vetter of Fargo, ND passed away on Monday, June 21, 2021. There will be a visitation from 5-7:00PM with a prayer service following at 7:00PM on Friday, June 25, 2021 at Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center, Fargo. The funeral Mass will be at 10:30 AM on Saturday, June 26, 2021 at Sts. Anne and Joachim Catholic Church in Fargo with a visitation one hour prior. The services will be lived streamed on the funeral home’s website. Jim Vetter was born on June 25, 1938 in rural Logan County near Napoleon, ND. He was the fourth son born to Mike and Mary (Schumacher) Vetter. He attended rural Logan County School though the 8th grade. He then went to Napoleon High School graduating in 1956. He attended Ellendale State College starting through the summer of 1957. Jim then started his first year of teaching in September 1957. He began teaching during the school year and attend Summer School. He taught in a one room rural school for five years in McIntosh, Emmons, and Logan County. In 1962, he joined the North Dakota National Guard. In 1963 Jim started teaching at Jud Public School. Jim graduated from Ellendale State College in the summer of 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree with a Major in Elementary Education and a Major in Social Science. Jim attended summer school at NDSU beginning in 1965 and graduated in the summer of 1968 with a Master Degree in School Administration. In 1967 he became the Superintendent at Jud Public School and was also the varsity boys’ basketball coach. During his coaching career at Jud Public School, twice his team went undefeated with 22-0 and 25-0 records before entering the State Class B Tournaments. On December 31, 1969, Jim married Ardis Bedker at St. Phillip Catholic Church at Napoleon, ND. Jim continued his career as a school administrator and basketball coach at Kensal, Page and Driscoll, ND, through 1979. The family moved back to Jud, ND in 1979 where they resided on Ardis’s family farm where Jim was able to fulfill his dream of becoming a farmer. While at the farm from 1979 to 1999, Jim also worked as Superintendent at Montpelier, Jud, and the last eight years as Elementary Principal at Edgeley Public School. During these 20 years, Jim also farmed raising feeder pigs, grew small grains wheat, barley, sunflowers and soybeans on the 640-acre farm. In August 1999 they moved to Milnor, ND where Jim was the Superintendent of Schools. On June 30, 2003, Jim retired after 44 years in the school business of which 35 years of the 44 years was in school administration. In April 2005 Jim and Ardis moved to Fargo where Jim began working with NASDA part-time as a field enumerator until his final retirement in July 2020. Jim is survived by his wife, Ardis, his children Melissa (Thomas) Rubey Woodbury, MN, Michael (Dianne) Vetter, Osceola, WI, Janelle Afrasiab, Barnesville, MN, and Kevin Vetter, Fargo, three grandchildren Morgan and Jordan Vetter and Aafy Afrasiab, his siblings Daniel (Vivian) Vetter, Mary Ann (Cy) Votava, and Clarence (Betty) Vetter, his sisters-in-law Rose (William), Diane (Michael) and brother-in-law Roger (Loretta) Rasmussen and many nieces and nephews. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Msgr. Wendelyn Vetter, William Vetter, Michael Vetter, and a stillborn brother and sisters Pauline Vetter, Magdeline Vetter and Loretta Rasmussen. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to a charity of the donor’s choice.