10 May Jacob Eckroth

It is with great sadness that the family of Jacob Eckroth announce his passing on May 7^th, 2021 from heart failure, age 86.

Jacob  was welcomed to heaven by his parents Andrew and Anna Eckroth; wife Louise; infant son David; brothers Joseph, Philip, Daniel, Paul and Tim; and sisters Frances, Elizabeth, Barbara, Bertha, Katie, Clementine and Lucille.  Jacob is survived by his children Patrick (Lynne) Eckroth and Michael (Marjorie) Eckroth; granddaughter Jodie Boyd-Howry; great-grandchildren Mason & Eliza Howry; sister-in-law Brigitta Anderegg-Hägler; and numerous loving relatives and friends.

Jacob was raised on the family farm located approximately 11 miles southeast of St. Anthony, North Dakota.  He completed his education at the Catholic School in St. Anthony.  In January of 1955, Jacob joined the Air Force and was stationed at Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Force Base in France with the 494^th Fighter Bomber Squadron, nicknamed the Panthers. This was activated as a NATO Fighter-Bomber squadron assigned to France.  They conducted operational readiness exercises and tactical evaluations and Jacob was assigned to painting planes and applying decals. The squadron frequently deployed to Wheelus AB, Libya for training.

While stationed in Europe, Jacob was in a bistro in Zurich, Switzerland and met the love of his life, Louise.  They were married at the St Anthony Catholic Church in St Anthony on January 15, 1959.  The newlyweds moved to a farm near Menoken, ND where Jacob worked as a hired hand.  During this period they welcomed their first son, Patrick.  But Jake’s true passion as a carpenter lured him back to that profession and they moved to Bismarck.  In the early 1970’s, they moved to their home south of Mandan.  Jacob was a truly gifted carpenter and could make anything out of a pile of scrap wood.  Jacob and Louise were married for 57 years when Louise passed on January 18, 2016.

In Loving Memory of Dad,

He never looked for praises

He was not one to boast

He just went on working for the ones he loved the most.

His dreams were seldom spoken

His wants were very few

And most of the time his worries went unspoken too.

He was there… A firm foundation

Through all of our storms of life

A sturdy hand to hold on to in times of stress and strife.

A true friend we could turn to

When times were good or bad

One of our greatest blessings, the man that we called Dad.

A memorial celebration will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, May 21, 2021 at the ND Veterans Cemetery at Mandan, ND. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the ND Veterans Cemetery.