Richard “Dick” Earl Monson, age 74, of Valley City, ND passed away Wednesday, June
25, 2025, at Sanford Hospital, Fargo, with his family beside him.  A Funeral Mass will be
celebrated at 10:30 AM Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in
Valley City.  Visitation will be held one hour prior.  Inurnment will be in St. Catherine’s
Catholic Cemetery, Valley City, ND. The funeral service will be live streamed, then
archived, on a link provided along with his obituary on his tribute page at
www.lerudmathias.com.  An online guestbook is available there as well.  The Lerud
Mathias Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Dick was born October 31, 1950, in Mercy Hospital, Valley City, ND, to Edward and
Ruth (Yanish) Monson.  He attended first grade at St. Catherine’s Elementary School,
the next three years at Hobart #9, then at Lincoln Elementary, and onto Valley City
Public Junior and Senior High Schools.  Dick enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of
17 following his graduation.  He trained with the 3rd Replacement Company at Camp
Pendleton, California.  He shipped out to Vietnam where he served with the 3rd Marine
Division.  As he excelled in math, he plotted coordinates for the “big guns”.  After Dick’s
discharge, he returned to Valley City to attend Valley City State College (now Valley City
State University).  He earned an elementary education degree and met his future wife,
Karen.  He went into farming as it paid more than teaching.
Dick married Karen Dreher on July 2, 1976, in Valley City where they made their home
on their farm west of Valley City for their married life.  He retired from farming in 2015.
He loved to garden, hike, fish, and hunt pheasants and grouse with his wife, friends,
and “pups” – Rex, Bruno, Gus, Sammy, Duke, and his last ones Carley and Max.  Dick
recently made a generous donation to the VCSU Fisheries and Wildlife Program.
Dick is survived by his sister Beverly (Robert) Loken, Valley City; nieces Amy Loken,
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Erin (Nick) Schneider, Fargo; great-niece and
nephews Elnora, Henry, and William Schneider; sisters-in-law Char (Paul) Donohue,
Valley City, Marla (Robert) Nelsen, Cando; and brother-in-law Jon Boggetto, Valley City.
Dick was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, his sister-in-law Rosemary, and
parents-in-law Glenn and Betty Dreher.
Memorials can be made to the Valley City Barnes County Public Library.