Henry “Hank” Middlestead, 95, Valley City, ND passed away at Elim Care Center in Fargo, ND on September 16, 2023.  A celebration of Hank’s life will be held at 1:00 PM, October 1, 2023 at the Eagles Club in Valley City.  The service will be live streamed, then archived, on a link provided along with his obituary on his tribute page at www.lerudmathias.com.  An online guestbook is available there as well.  You are encouraged to wear bright colors as this is a celebration of a life well lived.  The Lerud Mathias Funeral Home is assisting Hank’s family with arrangements.

Henry “Hank” Middlestead was born at home in Merricourt, North Dakota on February 24th,1928 to Lydia and Fred Middlestead. He was welcomed into the family along with 8 other children.
He spent his early days on the farm, taking care of the cows and other animals, befriending skunks and helping his family with farm work. 

On July 17th, 1949, he married the love of his life, Eunice Rosemary Allen in Valley City North Dakota and raised their four children, Steven, LeeAnn, Patti and Jean. Over the years they were both very active at The Eagles club, with Grandpa serving as the president in 1966 and 1967 and on the ritual team right up until he moved into Elim in Fargo, ND in May of 2023. Hank and Eunice were a common fixture out at The Eagles Club, cutting up the polka floor, with Grandpa happily telling anyone within earshot that they “never missed a Saturday night down at The Eagles unless they were out of town!” 

Hank dutifully served on the Fire Department in Valley City, ND for over 50 years, and was on the rescue squad saving lives for almost as long. His Fire Department family will always be a part of him. Service was something that came naturally to him; whether to family or friends or community, he was always there to lend a helping hand and to do so joyfully. 

If he wasn’t helping someone, you could find him ice fishing with his buddies, playing pinochle and cribbage at any family function (or milling around with his video camera), whipping up baked goods in the kitchen, canning pickles and making homemade sauerkraut, on top of being a master blackberry brandy maker. He loved spending time in the garden and cooking with his family. 

Along with enjoying his growing family, dancing away to polka at The Eagles Club, putting out fires and saving lives with the Valley City Fire Department, Hank was the man behind the (welder’s) mask down at Valley Radiator Service for over 60 years fixing radiators and telling dirty jokes. He was also a member of El Zagal and was dedicated to the Shriner’s for many years as well as the Valley City Masonic Lodge. 

He was an everything man, with presence everywhere and a helping hand for everyone. To say he will be missed doesn’t go far enough but he is finally home again, greeting long lost loved ones and clearing cribbage boards. 

Hank was preceded in death by his Mother and Father, wife Eunice Middlestead, brothers Lee and Rudy Middlestead, sisters Alvina, Elizabeth, Hulda and Dorothy, children Steven (Lee, Michael), LeeAnn (m. Marlin Pfeifer, children James, Marcie and Kellie) and countless close family friends. 

He is survived by his sister Billie Monson, children, Patti Kay Hildebrant (m. Jim Hildebrant, sons James and Mitch Ludwig, son Timothy Hildebrant and daughter Tawny Hildebrant (Dillbeck), Jean Marie Hass (m. Richard Hass, son Nick Hass) his Son-in-Law who has remained close friends Marlin Pfeifer (m. LeeAnn, son Jamie, daughters Marcie and Kellie (Heckman) and his grandchildren, Lee Middlestead (Gavin, Ethan, Taylor, Jacob & Giovanni) Michael Middlestead, James Pfeifer (Marni Pfeifer, children Noah, Sophie and Owen), Marcie Pfeifer (cats Barney and Joe), Kellie Pfeifer (Dylan Heckman, son Leo Heckman), James Ludwig (son Beckett Ludwig), Mitch Ludgwig (partner and bonus grandchild Maddie Smith, son Cale Ludwig, and twins Mavrick and Mazie Ludwig (Mother Danielle Homlstrom, who remained close to him and was a great friend), Timothy Hildebrant (Corpus Christi, TX), Tawny Hildebrant (m. Brandon Dillbeck, children Pierce and Aurora Dillbeck), Nickolas Hass (previously married to Michaela Herman, another bonus grandchild, daughters Valorie and Viola)along with several treasured nieces and nephews and cousins scattered throughout the country and an honorable mention of Scott Cole, who remained a close and loyal friend to Hank right up to his passing. 

The Family would like to thank the wonderful cancer care team under Dr. Wiisanen at Sanford in Fargo, the kind and compassionate staff who took such wonderful care of him at Elim in Fargo during his last days, our Hospice angels and all of his dedicated friends who took the time to stop in and visit over the past couple months. Death is never easy but the journey is much softer when we have such wonderful people to keep us company along the way. 

“That’s the way things go when they go that way!”-Henry Middlestead