O’Leary Dugan

Sept. 7, 1933 – Sept. 20, 2022

O’Leary “Leary” G. Du-

gan, 89, formerly of

Towner, ND passed away

peacefully on September

20, 2022 at the Rolette

Community Care Center

in Rolette, ND. As per his

wishes, a cremation has

taken place and no ser-

vices will be held.

Leary was born Sep-

tember 7, 1933 on the Du-

gan family ranch, rural

Towner, to Austin and

Mabel (Oberdier) Dugan.

Leary married Roberta

Roberts on July 20, 1955,

and together they had

four children.

Leary enlisted in the

U.S. Marine Corps in

1950. Shortly thereafter

he won an all expense

paid trip to Korea where

he spent three cold

winters. While in the Ma-

rines, Leary was also sta-

tioned at Mare Island, CA

and Pocatello, ID.

After Leary’s enlistment

ended, he returned to

North Dakota and was

employed by Cardinal

Drilling Company, head-

quartered out of Billings,

MT. He worked on Cardi-

nal Rig #1, starting at the

bottom and working his

way up to Tool

Pusher/Foreman. His

career took him to the oil-

fields of North Dakota,

Saskatchewan, Montana,

and Wyoming. Leary re-

tired from Cardinal Dril-

ling after 41 years, fol-

lowed by a few consulting

jobs both in the region

and also as far away as

New Mexico. He retired to

a ranch he and Roberta

purchased in rural Town-

er a few miles from his

birthplace.

The oil rig locations

were almost always in

austere and desolate loca-

tions where he would

spend days to weeks at a

time without breaks.

Leary worked hard in a

dirty, dangerous, and phy-

sically demanding profes-

sion, yet he never com-

plained. The quickest way

to get his children to

scatter to the wind was for

Leary to ask, “Who wants

to go to the rig with me to-

day?!”

Leary was an avid game

hunter. He hunted elk,

moose, bear, buffalo, deer

and birds. His son, Tom

was his frequent hunting

partner in the mountains

of Montana and Wyom-

ing. Leary also enjoyed

fishing and snowmobil-

ing. He was the quin-

tessential outdoorsman.

He enjoyed both kinds of

music: Country and

Western, with Ray Price

being his favorite singer.

Leary is survived by his

daughters, Terri (Paul)

Herauf, Dickinson, ND,

and Kathleen (Bruce)

Schneider, Newburgh, IN;

sons, Thomas (Pamela)

Dugan, Gillette, WY, and

Michael Dugan, Rockwall,

TX; 14 grandchildren and

7 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in

death by his wife of 67

years, Roberta; his

parents, Austin and Ma-

bel; sister, Lucille, broth-

ers, Patrick and James;

granddaughter, Maureen;

and great-grandson, Gats-

by.

Arrangements are with

Ladbury Funeral Service,

Dickinson, www.ladburyfuneralservice.com.