William "Bill" Stremick

William F. Stremick, 89, of Cavalier, ND, passed away Saturday, December 16, 2023 at his home. Visitation will be held Thursday, December 28, 2023 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, Cavalier, ND. Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, December 29, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Brigid’s. Interment will follow mass at the St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery in Walhalla, ND. 

William (Bill) was born in Langdon, ND on November 13, 1934 to Philip J. and Emma Stremick. The family later moved to a farm south of Walhalla where Bill attended a rural one-room schoolhouse, Easter Star School No. 2. Bill completed 2 years of military service as a mechanic in the army until 1959. He returned to marry Marlene (Schoenheit) on October 29, 1960. Bill worked in construction for other companies until joining his brother’s company, Philip Stremick Construction of Walhalla, as foreman. For a number of years he worked in this capacity while simultaneously establishing his own farm by raising crops and cattle throughout the Walhalla and Cavalier areas. Bill continued to actively run his farm with his sons until his passing.

Bill is best known for his unfailing commitment to his farm and his family, and steadfast service to his rural community. Long hours and the hard work of construction during the day while farming at night established for this son of immigrants his American dream. Working the land and raising cattle were for him the best kind of life one could have; taking care of his family by doing what he loved with honesty, integrity, perseverance, and joy. Bill served his church and community as a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1988. He had been a member of the Northeast Pioneer Association for the last 40 years, serving a number of those years as a director. Community service and leadership extended to Advance Township where he acted as chairman for 15 years. He left his mark on the lands around us by using his skill in operating bulldozers to clear farmland in the region. Through his God-given talents for creating and fixing things and his lifelong practice of educating himself, he built and operated a sawmill from scrap, restored John Deere tractors simply for the joy of it, constructed his own butcher shop out of necessity, and applied his abilities hundreds of times to all that was required to keep a family farm up and running. Bill was able to look at life’s challenges as something to embrace and overcome with his skills, his mind, and a bit of humor.  

Bill is survived by his wife of 63 years, Marlene, Jason Stremick and Alan Stremick of Cavalier, Loren Stremick of Drayton, Cheryl Carpenter (Scott) of Battlement Mesa, CO, Nathan Stremick of Duluth, MN, Brian Stremick of Cavalier, grandchildren Joshua, McKenzie, and Jordin Carpenter, brothers Ed (Marlene), Dan (Vera) and sister Anna Werven.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Philip, and sisters, Mildred, Mercedes, Amelda, and Evelyn.