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Bertsch, son of Albert and Emma (Heinrich) Bertsch was born May 24, 1935 on the family farm in Beresina Township rural Fredonia, ND. He was a hard worker with his parents, sisters and brothers. A family pasttime was singing and making music. Cliff bought his first guitar from the Sears-Roebuck catalog. At home and in church the family spoke German-Russian, but he remembered in country school all were required to learn and speak English. Cliff especially loved horses, Roy Rogers, John Wayne and Hank Williams.

In 1955, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1957. He continued in the Army Reserves and National Guard and worked for the State Highway Department building roads.

On May 31, 1959, he married Janice Pahl in Forbes, ND. In 1960 they moved to the farm where they raised three children, farmed small grain with small machinery, had cattle and pigs, and also milked cows. Many Saturday nights, Cliff enjoyed playing guitar in various old time bands for dances around the area. Cliff and Janice also sang together for many friends and family anniversaries, funerals and just “jammin” at home. Cliff was a good friend and neighbor and was a natural at talking with people. Because of his love for horses, he was involved in saddle clubs in Ellendale and Ashley, ND. He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church. He was also a 48 year member of the American Legion Nicholson-Gerdon Post #277 of Forbes, ND and an active participant in the Ellendale-Forbes Drill Team for a number of years.

Cliff and Janice sold the farm in 1996 and moved to Oakes. He worked for area farmers and lastly was employed at the Good Samaritan Society in maintenance. He and Janice were able to travel and make many new friends. He began restoring Allis-Chalmers and Farmall tractors with his son Jeff and also hand-made a collection of small scale farm machinery, replicating his memories of farm life. Cliff was able to show his tractors by participating in “tractor runs” which involved the simple joy of driving old tractors around the countryside with family and friends.

Cliff was initially disgnosed with prostate cancer in 2001, but it did not slow him down until the last six months of his life. While enduring a year and a half of chemotherapy, he was still able to be out at son Jeff’s hobby farm working on tractors, making hay, and checking on Jeff’s cattle and horses.

Cliff played his guitar and sang one last time with family around Thanksgiving 2011.

He died in his home with family by his side, on February 25, 2012. He was 76 years old.

Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Janice of Oakes; two sons, Jeffrey Bertsch, Oakes, and Chad Bertsch, Moorhead, MN; daughter, Shayla (Jason) Jegtvig, Glyndon, MN; four grandchildren, Melissa, Amanda, Madison, and Maxwell; two great-grandchildren, Hailey and John; two sisters, Esther Lensegrav, Olympia, WA, and Elsie (Walter) Schock, Ellendale, ND; and two brothers, Leroy (Mary) Bertsch, Jamestown, ND and Del (Shari) Bertsch, Las Vegas, NV. Cliff was preceded in death by his parents and a baby sister, Ella.

Visitation for Cliff will be Thursday, March 1, 2012 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. with the funeral at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, Oakes, ND. A graveside committal service will be held on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. at Zion II Lutheran Cemetery, rural Fredonia.

An on-line guestbook may be signed at www.dahlstromfuneralhome.com

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