Larry James Kraft
Jan. 9, 1938 – Nov. 26, 2020
Larry James Kraft, age
82 of Rugby, North Dakota
entered his heavenly
home on Thursday, No-
vember 26, 2020 at the
Heart of America Care
Center in Rugby. He was
born January 9, 1938 to
Walter and Helen (Mat-
tern) Kraft and was the
youngest of their five chil-
dren. As a child he grew
up on the Kraft family
farm north of Rugby, at-
tending Little Flower
School and graduated
from Rugby High School.
He completed his educa-
tion at Minot State Teach-
ers College.
Larry married the love
of his life, Paula Ann
Vetsch on June 9, 1958 in
Towner, North Dakota.
The couple have been
blessed with 5 children,
15 grandchildren and 12
great-grandchildren.
They both worked in the
family’s farming and retail
business when they were
first married and eventu-
ally purchased Towner
Shoe & Variety Store from
Paula’s family in 1974.
They became the third
generation to operate the
family store on Main
Street in Towner. Larry
was committed to sup-
porting the Towner com-
munity and was active in
many community organi-
zations including the
Towner Commercial Club,
the Towner Volunteer
Firefighters, and the Jay-
cees. He was also an ac-
tive member of St. Cecilia
Catholic Church. In 1985,
Larry and Paula moved to
Larry’s childhood farm
north of Rugby where
they championed the fam-
ily farming operation
founded by his father.
Larry, Paula, and their
son, David worked to-
gether to grow the opera-
tion by embracing indus-
try changes with innova-
tive practices and
pioneering crop manage-
ment. Their work was
recognized by the North
Dakota Soil Conservation
Award in 1998 and the
NDSU Harvest Bowl
Award in 2018. David
and his family will con-
tinue the Kraft Farms
legacy.
Larry was a dedicated
farmer and businessman.
He was well known to be
a slow but masterful sto-
ryteller and jokester. He
was a loving husband, fa-
ther, grandfather,
great-grandfather, brother,
uncle, and friend. He was
the ultimate prankster and
loved making people
laugh, while sharing his
knee-slapping gesture that
we are surely going to
miss. Some of his favorite
trips included camping
adventures in Yellow-
stone and ski trips to
Colorado. He and Paula
also enjoyed traveling
with lifelong friends to
Las Vegas and Hawaii. He
was a devoted Father,
teaching his beloved
Christian faith to his fami-
ly, dedicated to his com-
munity, and strongly be-
lieved in the value of hard
work.
Upon returning to Rug-
by, Larry became a
member of Little Flower
Catholic Church, the
Knights of Columbus and
was most proud of his
Catholic German Heritage.
He loved attending and
enjoyed his
grandchildren’s sporting
events along with a good
bag of popcorn. Larry was
a collector of vintage John
Deere tractors and would
often drive them in the
Rugby 4th of July parades.
He loved the family gath-
erings and will be fondly
remembered by his chil-
dren and grandchildren
for making every Christ-
mas an experience to
remember. Whether it
was a livestock manger
scene in the barn, or a
wagon ride pulled by a
team of horses, these
“Grandpa” memories will
live on in his legacy for
them all.
Most recently, health
challenges brought Larry
and Paula to make their
home at the Haaland
Estates in Rugby, and Lar-
ry remained a resident
there up until his Death.
He quickly made new
friends and reacquainted
with old friends during
this time. Larry enjoyed a
cup of coffee while rolling
dice at the North Side, or
a card game at the Estates.
He was a loving caregiver
to Paula and spent most of
his time with her, sharing
the memories of their lov-
ing family and the good
days in Towner and at the
farm.
He is survived by his
wife of 63 years, Paula; 5
children, Karla (Brian)
Gunderson, Kari (Steve)
Lysne, Kylene (Jim)
Schall, Kayla (Cory) John-
son and David (Becky)
Kraft; 15 grandchildren;
12 great-grandchildren; a
brother Melvin (Janet)
Kraft; a sister, Beatrice
(David) Leach; special
aunt, Theresa
Mattern-Gronvold; many
nieces, nephews, other re-
latives; and a host of
many special friends. He
was preceded in death by
his parents and sisters,
Delores (Bill) Putnam and
Julies (Mike) Odegard.
Our deepest apprecia-
tion and thanks to the
Haaland Estates and
HAMC care teams for
their tender care for Larry
and their continuing care
for our mother, Paula.
Memorials in his memory
may be directed to the
Good Samaritan Heath
Services Foundation, C/O
the Heart of America
Medical Center – 800 S.
Main Ave., Rugby – Attn:
Larry Kraft Memorial
A Private Family
Memorial Mass of Chris-
tian Burial will be held
Saturday, December 5th at
11:00 a.m. at the Little
Flower Catholic Church
in Rugby with public
burial at 12:15 p.m. in the
Church cemetery. Father
Franklin Miller, Cele-
brant.
Special Honorary Bear-
ers: Larry’s dice & card
playing buddies
Honorary Urn Bearers:
His Grandchildren
For the safety of all,
please be aware of the Co-
vid-19 restrictions includ-
ing social distancing,
hand hygiene, staying at
home if feeling ill and fa-
cial masks are mandatory.
Arrangements with the
Anderson Funeral Home
of Rugby. Online registry:
www.funeralsbyanderson
.com