View Funeral Service Here

Clarence Werner, age 94 of Elgin, passed away on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 at the Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 from 11:00am MT to the time of the Funeral Service at1:00pm MT on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, all at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Elgin with Pastor Nathan Laska,  officiating.

Following the Funeral Service a time of fellowship will be held at Our Place Café in Elgin.  Burial will then take place at Paradise Community Cemetery south of Carson.

The Funeral Service will be live streamed on the website www.evansonjensenfuneralhome.com and can be viewed by going to Clarence's obituary and clicking on "view funeral service here".

Serving as Honorary Casketbearers are Dan Dixon, Joe Grimson, Jim Maier, Paul Wutzke, Pete Rath, Rueben Zacher, and all the Elgin Lions Club Members.

Serving as Active Casketbearers are Dave Hintz, Steven Schadler, Rod Skretteberg, David and Jeff Werner, and Clayton Zacher.

Clarence Lenard Werner was born on October 7, 1928 in McIntosh, SD to Gottlieb and Elsie (Miller) Werner. He grew up on the family farm in the Paradise Community south of Carson, ND and was baptized and confirmed at the Paradise Lutheran Church. He attended elementary school at the Cedar Butte District of Grant County and graduated from the Elgin High School. While farming with the family in the Paradise Community, he married Gertrude (Gertie), daughter of Samuel and Emelia (Kast) Wegner on June 27, 1948. They were blessed to be able to celebrate their 75th anniversary together in June of 2023 with family and friends and received special congratulations from the United States President and the Governor of North Dakota.

The couple lived on the farm from 1948-1957 then they moved to Idaho and Washington working on a large wheat farm. They moved back to North Dakota to help with the farm when his dad got sick then moved to Bismarck, ND where he worked as a welder for Ed Tibisor Welding and Machining. They moved south of New Leipzig on the Kirschmann Farms where he was ranch manager. On January 1967, they purchased the motel in Elgin which became the Werner Motel and started the Perfection Welding and Machine shop. He sold the shop and went to work teaching welding and machining with the Southwest Multi-District Vocation Program. After that program ended, he worked as a Grant County Road Supervisor and also worked for Dittus Incorporated in sales of John Deere products. In 1996, Clarence and Gertie retired and sold the motel and bought a home in Elgin.

He loved his hobby of repairing and collecting toy tractors, hunting, fishing and golfing. He was a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Elgin and served many years as treasurer and council chairman. Clarence was active in his community, serving for many years in the Fire Department and the Lions Club where he had 35 years of perfect attendance and received the Lion of the Year Award and Melvin Jones Award and served in several offices in the local and district chapter. The titles that meant the most were those of husband, dad and  especially grandpa.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 75 years, Gertie; son and daughter-in-law, Gregory (Buffalo) and Connie (Haas) Werner and grandchildren: Jennifer (Daniel Tolbert), West Jordan, Utah, Thomas Werner and Krystal Werner; great-grandchildren, Tucker Strough; Matthew, Olivia and Noah Tolbert; Madison Newman; Izzabelle Nickell; and great-great Granddaughter, BrexLee Strough. Clarence is also survived by sisters, Betty Wilkenson of California, Margie Dixon of Bismarck, ND, and brother, Jim Werner (Sheila) of Mandan, ND, sister-in-law, Edna Wegner, Missoula, MT and many Godchildren as well as many other relatives and lifelong friends.

He was preceded in death by his father Gottlieb Werner in 1967 and mother, Elsie Christine Miller Werner in 1973, son Wayne Douglas in infancy July 1949-December 1949, father-in-law, Samuel Wegner, mother-in-law, Emelia Kast Wegner, brothers-in-law, Leland Wilkenson, Reinhold Hintz, Rueben, Otto, Walter, Herbert and Billy Wegner, Harry Zacher, Eugene Myron, and his Wegner sisters-in law, Lydia Hintz, Esther Zacher, Martha Myron,  Margie Wegner Erickson, Phyllis Wegner, Virginia Wegner, and Leota Wegner.