George Ormiston, age 87, of Hettinger, ND, passed away on Sunday, December 28, 2025 at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger, ND.

Burial with Full Military Honors will take place on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. MT at the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, SD.

George LaVern Ormiston was born June 20, 1938 on the family farm near Fairdale, North Dakota to George Leslie and Edna (Aipperspach) Ormiston. He was the oldest of Six children. He attended grade school in Cavalier County until they sold the farm and moved to Enderlin ND in 1948.

George didn't care much for high school so in December 1955 he enlisted in the Navy and went to Great Lakes Naval Academy in Chicago, IL.  He returned home to Enderlin and took odd jobs until 1958 when he was called to active duty. He was stationed at Long Beach, CA. One memory he talked about was when their ship was ordered up the Panama Canal to Cuba to stop the Russians during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Their ship had been disarmed because it was supposed to go into "dry-dock" to get rebuilt. He thought they were all goners! After he was honorably discharged in July of 1960 he returned home to Enderlin.

George met Karen Gunderson and they were married December 16, 1961 in Milwaukee, WI. To this Union two children were born. Kevin and Michele.

George had a lot of different skills. He worked in the factories in Milwaukee, he liked carpentry, and he liked to farm and ranch which is what brought him to the Hettinger area in 1970.

In 1995 they bought a house just outside of Hettinger and he took a job at Grand River Grazing. He developed cancer in 2000 but managed to beat it and returned to Grand River Grazing until he fully retired.

George enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, puzzles, watching birds and yearly visits from his brothers Gary and Glen. He also enjoyed a good game of Pinocle!

He absolutely loved all his grandchildren that visited. His Great-Great grandson Walker was a regular. The smiles on his face when he saw him are such a treasure. He always had a sucker in his pocket ready.

George and Karen moved into the Assisted Living Facility in Hettinger October 2023. He took such good care of Karen keeping her on the right track. He's going to be telling her from heaven "take your pills" or "that's not the remote Karen, it's the telephone"! He loved animals and became the caretaker of the stray cats. He was so glad when they were rescued.

George was a man of God, Family and Country. His faith was strong and he was so ready to be called home. He passed away December 28, 2025 at the age of 87. To honor his wishes there are no services planned.

George will be dearly missed by his wife Karen of 64 years from Hettinger.

He is survived by his son Kevin (Doreen) and daughter Michele (Lynn) Heath of Hettinger; 7 Grandchildren; 17 Great grandchildren and 1 Great-Great Grandson.