Kenneth M. Barta

Kenneth Barta, age 66, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, at home on the family farm near Veseleyville, N.D.

Kenneth Michael Barta was born to Evarist and Stanislava “Stanny” Barta on Feb. 21, 1952, in Grafton. He grew up on the family farm south of Veseleyville, the third of five boys determined to make sure life on the farm was anything but dull. He attended elementary school at Ops Dist 33 and graduated from Walsh County Agricultural School in Park River in 1970.

He was a diehard Bison fan for life, cheerfully rubbing the school’s football prowess in the face of anyone (mostly UND fans) who dared to question the Thundering Herd’s dominance. If only his beloved Minnesota Vikings could have blessed him with that same opportunity. But, alas, they had only four tries. FOUR.

Ken married Faye Garnaas on Nov. 16, 1973, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Park River. They lived in Grafton, where he worked for Lockwood Mfg., Hills Inc. and John Deere before joining Farmers Union Insurance as an agent in 1986. That same year, on Nov. 25, Ken lost his 34-year-old wife Faye to cancer, with four girls ages 5 to 12 left at home to raise alone. He devoted his life to his daughters, teaching them the values of fairness, honesty and hard work, loving them unconditionally and fulfilling his promise to Faye to send all four of them to college. He retired from the insurance business in 2002 and moved back to the family farm where his twin brothers Ernie and Evie still reside.

Ken was truly one in a million who wore his heart on his sleeve. He didn’t keep his feelings or opinions under wraps. In fact, he didn’t wrap anything unless it was with newspaper, duct tape or Velcro. Between his epic naps, orange popsicles, bad Westerns, reruns of “Law & Order” and nonstop application of Chapstick, he managed to make everyone around him chuckle and roll their eyes at his corny jokes and even cornier nuggets of homespun wisdom. He was a standout athlete in high school, helping Park River’s American Legion baseball team capture a state title in 1967, and later became a longtime successful coach, as he led Grafton’s American Legion team in 1996 to a state title and then to Nationals. He was a longtime member and past president of Valley Ambulance and Rescue Service. He was a past Grand Knight and a current member of the Knights of Columbus and Ops Township Board of Directors and served on the Grafton City Council.

Nothing brought Ken greater joy than his grandchildren. He beamed with pride at their academic and athletic achievements, loved to give them rides on the tractor, and cherished their smiling faces, distinct personalities and the special bond he enjoyed with each of them. As he battled physical pain in his later years, his grandchildren were the rays of sunshine that kept him raging against the dying of the light.

Now, finally, Ken is pain-free and happily reunited in heaven with the love of his life. There is a lot of catching up to do after 32 years.

Ken is survived by four daughters, Denise (Bradley) Moe, Grafton, Brooke (Steven) Sundvor, Bismarck, Jamie (Michael) Nowatzki, Bismarck, and Brandace Barta Heisler, Bismarck; three brothers, Ronald (Patricia), Langdon, Ernest (Julie), Pisek, and Evarist Jr., Pisek; two brothers-in-law, Larry (Kaye) Hall, Buckley, Wash., and Donald (Karen) Garnaas, Redding, Calif.; sister-in-law Pamela (Rick) Thompson, Grafton; and eight grandchildren, Jadrian, Tyler and Trevor Moe, Grafton, Caden Sundvor, Bismarck, Katherine and Kaylee Nowatzki, Bismarck, and Alexis and Drew Heisler, Lincoln. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Faye, brother Theodore (Ted), and sister-in-law Kaye Hall.

Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, December 7, 2018 at 10:30 AM at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church of Grafton, ND. Visitation will be Thursday from 5-7 PM with a prayer service at 7:00 PM at the Tollefson Funeral Home of Grafton. Friends may also call at the church on Friday for one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Grafton, ND in the spring.