Reuben Albert Schelske

Reuben Albert Schelske, 96, Jamestown, died Tuesday, March 13 at Central Dakota Village following a short illness.

Reuben was born March 10, 1911 to Gottlieb and Louisa Schelske the oldest son of a family of four girls and four boys. He grew up and attended school in the Woodworth area.

Reuben began singing with his brother, Ervin when he was a teenager and subsequently the other brothers joined Reuben and Ervin and they became a quartet known as ?Dakota?s Lonesome Cowboys.? They sang regularly on WLS, Salt Lake City and KFYR, Bismarck, as well as performing at numerous weddings, funerals and other social events.

Reuben married Ann Swadberg, a Norwegian girl from the New Home area on April 27, 1936. They moved to Spiritwood where the couple purchased a wheat popping machine and packaged it for use as breakfast cereal. In 1944 Reuben and Ann moved back to the family farm near Woodward where they farmed and further cultivated the homestead into a state licensed nursery, Schelske Peony Farm. Many acres on the farmstead were planted in peonies of all colors and varieties and during the blooming season people came many miles to see the Schelske peonies.

In addition to his farming operation, Reuben was involved in a variety of activities over the years. He operated a hide and fur buying business for more than 20 years working for the Fargo Iron and Metal Company. Reuben became a top auctioneer having attended the famous Auctioneering School in Mason City, Iowa and was soon in demand all over the region. Known as ?Colonel Rube? the singing tones of a good auctioneer became a part of his life and with Ann as his clerk, the couple went from farm to farm holding many successful auctions.

Reuben and Ann became a family with the birth of a son, LaVerne on March 30, 1937 and then another son, Kenneth on August 2, 1944. Raising and educating their sons, farming and being active members of the Medina Seventh-day Adventist Church completely involved their time.

In the fall of 1967 Ann was diagnosed with cancer and died on March 3, 1968. She is buried in the Highland Home cemetery in Jamestown, North Dakota.

Reuben became acquainted with Elma Allmendinger from Bismarck and they were married on January 1, 1970 and moved to 718 4th Ave. NW in Jamestown. With the move to Jamestown Reuben became a representative for the Newton Manufacturing Company with headquarters in Newton, Iowa. After working part time for four years he became a full time salesman with territory including all of North Dakota and parts of South Dakota and Montana. He soon became the salesman having the highest number of sales in one year and maintained this record outselling 1100 other salesmen for a four-year period. In 1979 Reuben purchased A & A Promotions, St. James, Minnesota and moved the headquarters to Jamestown where he worked steadily until he retired ?somewhat? in 2001.

Reuben was very involved in the community and showed special ability in public speaking and was frequently the keynote speaker at civic groups, numerous award banquets, sales meetings and motivational workshops. He was a township supervisor and school clerk for Paris Township and on the Stutsman County Executive GOP committee. For nine years he was on the Stutsman County Red Cross Executive Board and was the County Rural Fund Drive chairman for five years. He was on the Stutsman County FHA committee and served as a Director of the State Board. He served for five years as county president of the Farm Bureau and continued another nine years as Vice President. He was Vice President of NoDak Mutual Trust for seven years.

Reuben was chairman of the State Natural Resources Committee for five years and was the organizer of the National Water Bank Program. This program became a national farm program for rural America by preserving wildlife habitat lands for migratory wildlife as well as habitats for local wildlife. Involved in writing the National Water Bank Act he testified before the United States Department of Agriculture committee in Washington D.C.

Reuben was active in church activities with regular attendance at the Medina Country Church and following its closure the Jamestown Seventh-day Adventist Church. He served as elder, Sabbath (Sunday) School teacher, Sabbath School superintendent and frequently presented the morning sermon. Area churches soon relied on Reuben to preach when their pastor was away. His tenor voice could be heard singing with the congregation and his prayers were inspirational and revealed a deep personal relationship with his God.

Reuben served on the Board of Trustees of Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska., a Seventh-day Adventist college for fourteen years. Both his son, Ken and granddaughter Doreen graduated from Union.

Reuben is preceded in death by his father and mother, Gottlieb and Louisa, his first wife, Ann, his second wife, Elma and his youngest son, Kenneth. Also preceding him in death are three sisters, Sarah, Martha and Bertha.

He is survived by his son, LaVerne and his wife, Margie, Courtenay, North Dakota, his stepson, Delbert Allmendinger, Minneapolis, Minnesota and daughter-in-law, Valerie Weaver, Gulfport, Mississippi. Survivors also include his brothers, Ervin, Glendive, Montana, Harold, Fargo, North Dakota, Ben, Carlsbad, California and one sister, Esther, Mariposa, California. He leaves to mourn his death his grandchildren, Doreen Decker, her husband, Chris and great-grandchildren Aron and Jacob, Admire, Kansas; Tim Schelske, his wife, Pam and great-grandchildren Marcus, Jonathan and Evan of ElDorado, Kansas; Marc Schelske and his wife, Christina and great-granddaughter, Emerson Rose, Portland, Oregon; Michelle Ellenson, her husband, Jared, and great-granddaughter, Riley, Fargo, North Dakota and MeriBeth Miller, her husband Troy and great-grandson, Ethan, Portland Oregon, as well as a host of friends and neighbors.

Funeral Service: 2:00PM, Monday, March 19, 2007 at Jamestown Seventh Day Adventist Church, Jamestown.

Visitation: 1:00PM to 8:00PM, Sunday, March 18, 2007 at the Eddy Funeral Home, Jamestown.

Burial: Highland Home Cemetery, Jamestown later in the spring.