Richard Wurgler
March 16, 1939-March 11, 2021
Richard Wurgler, 81, of
Knox, North Dakota
passed away Thursday,
March 11, 2021 in a Minot
hospital after a year-long
battle with acute myeloid
leukemia. A memorial
service will be held Sa-
turday, July 3, at 2:00
p.m. at First Lutheran
Church in Rugby, fol-
lowed by food, fellowship
and memory sharing at
the Rugby Eagles.
Richard was born
March 16, 1939 in Rugby
to Alfred and Olga (Lo-
ken) Wurgler. He was
raised and educated in
Knox, graduating from
Knox High School in
1957. He started working
with his father at Al’s Ser-
vice and Repair at an ear-
ly age, cleaning parts and
doing odd jobs. By the
time he was a teenager, he
was able to handle any
problem that came
through the door, whether
it was engine overhauls,
welding, transmission or
autobody repair, painting,
windshield replacement,
or a myriad of other
mechanical breakdowns.
He got the job done even
if he had to fabricate both
the parts and tools to do
it. Following his high
school graduation, he was
employed full-time at Al’s
Service. He had a special
talent for diagnostics, and
other mechanics regularly
called him to diagnose
problems they couldn’t
figure out. He’d ask a few
questions, then tell them
what the problem and the
solution were.
He served in the 164th
Engineering Battalion of
the North Dakota National
Guard and was called to
active duty during the
Berlin Crisis in 1961-62.
On July 7, 1963 he mar-
ried Edith Hadler in
Surrey. They made their
home in Knox.
Richard was a member
of Pleasant Valley Church
of the Brethren, rural
York, until it closed in
2009. He taught Sunday
School, was a Deacon,
and served on several
church boards as well as
moderator of the congre-
gation. He was active in
the church’s camping pro-
gram at Camp Mon-Dak
near St. John, North Dako-
ta. He was a member of
the Knox Volunteer Fire
Department, and was
elected municipal judge
of Knox for several terms.
He was a long-time
volunteer at the Prairie
Village and Museum in
Rugby and enthusiastical-
ly helped in whatever
area he was needed.
In 1973 he bought Al’s
Service where the coffee
pot was always on and the
candy bars close at hand.
He sold Sno-Jet snowmo-
biles for a number of
years, and also farmed
near Knox. In 1996 he
closed the shop and start-
ed working at Rugby
Equipment, later
Gooseneck Implement, in
Rugby. Over the years he
mentored numerous
young men who worked
for him and with him.
Richard’s pastimes in-
cluded hunting, fishing
and snowmobiling. He
loved spending vacation
time with his sons and
their families. He was a
“fun grandpa” who knew
how to entertain his
grandkids and keep them
laughing. After retirement
in 2012, he enjoyed long
drives in the country,
feeding squirrels and
birds in the backyard and
tinkering in the shop. He
continued to repair
machinery for area farm-
ers.
Richard was a “people
person” who made friends
wherever he went. He
had a ready smile and
handled everything with a
quip and a grin, even dur-
ing his cancer treatment.
He lived by the Golden
Rule and never wanted
anyone to be able to say
he did a bad job or took
advantage of them.
He is survived by: his
wife, Edie, Knox; sons,
Ryan (Tina) Wurgler,
Stillwater, Minnesota, and
Steve (Joy) Wurgler, Tal-
lahassee, Florida; five
grandchildren, Erin and
Brynn Wurgler, and
Daniel, Benjamin and
Joshua Wurgler; sister,
Donna (Darryl) Blessum,
Guthrie, Oklahoma;
several nieces and
nephews, cousins and
brothers- and
sisters-in-law.
He was preceded in
death by: his parents and
a sister, Beverly
Heidlebaugh.
Arrangements with the
Anderson Funeral Home
of Rugby. Online registry:
www.funeralsby
anderson.com