ElRoy Harry Patzner was born on June 20, 1951, in Bismarck Hospital to Esther Binder and Carl Harry Patzner. On November 2, 2026, at 5:40 am, in the Golden Acres Manor, Carrington, the Lord called ElRoy to our eternal home. ElRoy willing left his earthly body behind to reunite with loved ones that we all miss. And, he is finally allowed to have all the pet dogs his wife wouldn’t let him keep!
ElRoy grew up in Tappen and Jamestown. His grandparents, John and Bertha (Geist) Binder, were a major influence in his life. ElRoy was baptized and confirmed by Pastor Geo Rothe on May 15, 1966, at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tappen.
ElRoy worked various jobs in his early years and teen years so he could buy his first (used) car at the age of 13. His favorite job was working on the farm of his Uncle Ralph and Aunt Elnora (Harriman) Brame in Kidder County until the death of Uncle Ralph.
On July 8, 1972, he was united in marriage to Elayne Faye Becker at the Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Streeter by Pastor Elmer Sprunk. The following week, he started his career with Northern Improvement Company as a truck driver for the paving crew. In November, 1989, the family moved from Streeter to a home seven miles southwest of Jamestown.
ElRoy retired from Northern Improvement at the age of 59 and a half years. He started Patzner’s Bobcat Service and loved whatever size Bobcat he owned and bought many attachments to keep him busy all year long.
On April 22, 2016, he suffered second and third degree burns on his legs while cleaning up a farmstead near Oberon. He received skin grafting on his legs at Regions Burn Center in St. Paul, MN. His lungs never fully recovered from inhaling smoke while fighting the fire and his legs continued to bother him the rest of his life.
On August 10, 2021, ElRoy had surgery to remove a malignant ossifying fibromyxoid neoplasm of the abdominal wall. After the surgery, his lungs took their sweet time starting to support ElRoy again. The oncology surgeon and the anesthesiologist advised against additional surgeries. Mayo Clinic reported an open margin, so radiation treatments were taken. This cancer returned in 2025, not in the original site, but in several areas in the abdominal wall. Chemo for this type of cancer is very harmful to the body (Red Devil), radiation would have been in too many different areas, and the Pazopanib (Votrient) was discontinued after two weeks because of its side effects.
ElRoy is survived by his wife and son Chad; ‘adopted’ grandchildren: Codie and Chris Traut and great-grandson Eli Lee, Logan Whitney, Gage Whitney, and Josayln (JoJo) Rodacker- Williamson and her mother Rae Ann Rodacker; his sisters Linda Kapp and Sue Guthmiller, his brother Troy (Kati) Naatus; his sisters-in-law Gail (Roberg) Patzner, Melody Strom, Robin (Harriman) Stiem, Joanne (Ringrose) and Neal Reid, Jackie (Seph) Becker; his brothers-in-law Andy Stanton, Garry (Rita) Becker, Gaylynn (Sherry Messmer) Becker, Arlynn (Bethany) Becker, AlLynn (Joe Dufloth) Becker, and Peter Ringrose.
ElRoy was preceded in death by his grandparents, his parents, his parent’s-in-law Eddie and Esther (Buck) Becker, his brothers LeLand Patzner, and Tim Harriman; his sisters Donna Diede, Sandy Capps, Sheila Ringuette, Sherry Stanton; his brothers-in-law Eugene Kapp, Dallas Guthmiller, Sherill Diede, Ed Capps, Dean Ford, and Gordon Schmidt; his sisters-in-law Judy (Hoffman) Patzner Oster, Linda (Were) Becker, and Christi Becker.
A special thank you to the Golden Acres Manor staff for the comfort and care given to ElRoy during the past month.
Sydney Carton’s famous last words from the Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done;
it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known”
VISITATION will be held Sunday, November 8, 2026, 5-7PM, at Haut Funeral Home, Jamestown, ND, with a prayer service at 7 PM.
-The livestream/recording of the prayer service will be available- CLICK HERE
FUNERAL SERVICE-Funeral Services will be held Monday, November 9, 2026, 11 AM, at the First Church of the Nazarene, Jamestown, ND, with Pastor Greg Allen officiating. A lunch will follow.
-The livestream of the funeral will be available on the Church’s YouTube page- CLICK HERE
INTERMENT-will take place that afternoon, 3PM, at Hope Cemetery, south of Streeter, ND.
