Rollin "Rollie" Soderling

Rollin Ross Soderling, 89, of Fargo died Friday, April 3rd in Sanford Health Care. He most recently resided in Eventide Care Center - Fargo, ND. He was born on September 8th, 1930 in Oakland, NE to Ross and Verniece Soderling. His birth mother died when he was 7 years old. Ross as a single parent working on the road led to living with close relatives and his primary education in small towns and rural schools from Oakland to Uehling, NE. Ross married Florence Nutt in 1939. From this marriage dad was thrilled to add a stepbrother, George Nutt. He attended high school in Sioux City, IA which was known as the Castle on the Hill (AKA the Dump on the Hump!). Attended 2 1/2 years at Morningside College in Sioux City, IA before enlisting in the Air Nat’l Guard in Iowa during the Korean War. He served 3 years as a member of the 174th Fighter Bomber Squadron and the 132nd Fighter Bomber Wing. He did his basic training at Dow AFB in Bangor, Maine. He was stationed at Dow AFB (Bangor, Maine); Francis Warren AFB (Cheyenne, Wyoming); Loring AFB (Caribou, Maine) and Alexandria AFB (Alexandria, Louisiana). His service at Alexandria AFB led to a life-long affinity for the LSU Tigers. He was a member of the American Legion for over 50 years. Even at 89 years old, he could recite his Service Number without missing a beat. He recalls a much-anticipated leave for the weekend which was revoked because he did not memorize his Service Number. It was etched in his mind forever after that incident! He married Margaret Ermer on May 4th, 1955. They had four children: Deb McShane, Fargo; Pam (Mark) Werlinger, Las Vegas, NV; Mike Soderling, Fargo; and Randy (Vickie) Soderling, Prior Lake, MN. Rollie and Margaret resided in Fargo, ND; Casselton, ND and then purchased a home in south Fargo where they lived for 47 years. They moved to One Oak Place in Fargo as one of the first residents, in September of 2008. Margaret passed away on Feb. 10, 2011. After a few untimely falls, he moved into the Care Center in Eventide- Fargo in April of 2017. He worked at Dahl’s Super Valu on South University Drive in Fargo and subsequent stores Jim’s Super Valu and Hornbachers Express for a total of 42 years before his retirement, including a 2-year position in Casselton, ND at the Casselton Super Valu. He was the Produce Manager, Grocery Manager and finally the Assistant Manager of the store. In his years of knowledge gained, he trained in many store managers who went on to serve at many locations in the Fargo-Moorhead area. It was hard, physical work there in the grocery business, and he would delight in telling the story of his bad shoulders caused by “tossing 20 lb. watermelons” over the edge of a truckload in a system much like we use in moving sandbags to a dike today. The friendships gained through his years there are among his favorite treasures. He grew up with and still loved Big Band Era music and the “Rat Pack”, his favorite singer of all time being Frank Sinatra. His love for sports was legendary.... not playing, just watching. Among his favorites: Nebraska ‘Husker’ Football, NDSU Football and the Minnesota Vikings! His schedule often revolved around Minnesota Twins Baseball. He loved Thursdays as he knew he would have great TV through Sunday watching golf tournaments. He collected vintage metal cars and WWII metal vintage airplanes. His toy collection featured any different or collectible plane that suited his fancy for the entire room that he filled. He was an Air Force man through and through. He attended many Air Sho’s and spent hours on the tarmac with his camera in hand. He followed the work of Bob Odegaard and Bob Beck in their preservation and restoration work in conjunction with the Fargo Air Museum. His favorites, Bob Odegaard’s P-51 and his Super Corsair. In October of 2016, he was grateful to be accepted on the WDAY Honor Flight for Veterans with his daughter Deb, a thrilling trip which he spoke of for the rest of his days. He is survived by his children, 7 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren; Patrick (Tiffany) Keegan and Owen McShane; Dan (Natalie) Rory and Dempsey McShane; Lee (Caitlin) Hailey and Logan Werlinger; Brandon (Ally) Talon and (one on the way) Werlinger; Kelsey Werlinger and fiance Tim Weber; Stephanie Soderling ( Sabrina Keller); Matt (Alison Thielke) Kristina, Madison and Brayden Soderling, 2 sisters in law Marilyn Nutt of Lincoln, NE and Eileen Mitzel of Valley City, ND, 1 brother in law Ron Tellinghusen of Fargo, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Margaret, his parents Ross, Verniece, and Florence Soderling, one son in law, Tom McShane, and brother, George Nutt. We give our profound thanks to the Care Center at Eventide Fargo, the Nurses who cared so deeply for him, and to All the staff who really attended to dad as if he was their dad too. It takes a village, and together what a team you were... Including the Sanford providers and doctors whose guidance and support gave us 2 extra years with our dad. Not being able to be with him...thank you to the attending doctor and nurses in the ER dept who surrounded him in his final minutes so he was not alone. Special thanks to friends who always reached out to dad: Bob Beach, Steve Evert and Gerene Mayer. In this difficult time with restrictions because of the coronavirus, a private burial will be held soon. A Celebration of his Life will be held at a later to share laughter and love. Cards may be sent to: Deb McShane 4040 42nd St S #331 Fargo, ND In lieu of flowers, we would prefer donations in his name, to the Fargo Air Museum: 1609 19th Av N. Fargo, ND 58102 or by visiting https://fargoairmuseum.org/take-action. This would serve to honor not only dad, who was a member since its inception; it would honor all veteran’s past and present.