Jerry R. Obenauer, II

Jerry Richard Obenauer, II

Arrived from heaven September 7, 1969

Passed back into heaven August 9, 2025

Jerry was born to Jerry and Leona Obenauer in Jacksonville, Florida on September 7, 1969.  He was the first of the two Obie brothers, with Jason arriving just a few years later.  Their family moved to Grand Forks before settling in Hazen, North Dakota where the boys were raised.

Jerry was a leader from the very beginning.  The first born, he was quick to lead his brother into many and various shenanigans.  The legacy of stories he leaves behind is nothing short of folklore.  Obie folklore.  From climbing piles of tires and building bravery and brag in the dirt, to stories from the handlebars of beloved bicycles, to near-drownings in the Knife River, to fast cars and late nights, even Jer’s childhood was larger than life and long-storied.

The Obie folklore continued to grow as he realized who he was on a football field.  Ask any fellow teammate from Hazen High School, or Minot State University, or the Shrine Football Team, or the team in Stockholm, Sweden, and they will have a story (many stories) to share about Jerry’s leadership and prowess on and off the football field, and amongst his bands of brothers.  He was truly larger than life.

And that was really just the beginning of all of the places where Jer left his large imprint.  After graduating from Hazen High School, then his undergraduate from Minot State University, and then graduate school at the University of Mary, he continued to leave his tracks.  He shaped and inspired many young lives in his career as a school administrator, athletic director and coach from Hazen, to Bismarck, to Mountain Home, Idaho, and back.  Continuing his self-crafted tradition of earning awards for his work, he was acknowledged nationally for his influence and leadership as a school principal. In the next chapter of his career journey, he deepened relationships and built connective tissue with Universal Athletic - a company that felt more like a brotherhood to Jerry.  There he worked with hundreds of coaches from around the state of North Dakota and the midwest, and loved every minute of it.  And he used his varied skill sets in the last chapter of his career working alongside people he absolutely adored at Coteau and North American Coal.  Tucked inside every spare waking minute, Jer was shaping his community.  From being a Big Brother to a young person, to leading the Bison Boosters to continue to enhance and grow the programs and facilities that grew him up, to carrying the torch of an idea for the city of Hazen, or testifying in front of the North Dakota State Legislature about the importance of lignite coal, or protecting education, or furthering economic development, Jer was always advocating for progress.  The City of Hazen was blessed to have him as Mayor from 2014 until his passing.  

But perhaps his deepest imprints are in the hearts and lives of his family - the people he loved the most.  He loved his parents fiercely, and they left his and Jason’s life much too soon.  But he carried that fierce love into the way he parented.  Jerry married Christie Huber Obenauer in 1995, and together they brought three children into this world:  Isaak, Kordon and Elle.  And it wouldn’t be the full story of Jer as a parent if we didn’t include Juno, Bohdan, Magnus and Rohan, the children born to Jer’s brother, Jason, and Christie’s sister, Stephanie.  They have raised the seven Obies as the collective and genetic whole that they are, and they carry Jer’s legacy of unconditional love, leadership, vulnerability and boldness forward.  Harvey and Kathy Huber became Jerry and Jason’s parents after the passing of their own parents, and their guidance and unconditional love and support helped Jer continue to grow into the man of influence that he was.  When Andi Thon Emerson entered Jer’s life, Love and Light and Joy deepened in his heart, and across his entire family.  Her unwavering love and support in Jerry’s walk through cancer was both life-giving and light-giving - the truest of gifts.

Folklore is essentially customs, beliefs, stories and sayings of a people that are handed down from generation to generation - and it both builds and shapes us.  “Jerry’s people” are a very large group, as demonstrated by the nearly 1,000 members of his “Cheering on Jerry Obenauer” Facebook page.  From friends to extended family, to colleagues, coaches, teammates, childhood playmates, mentors and mentees, and entire communities, Jerry’s legacy will continue to be carried forward.  

Carrying the brightest glowing embers of the inner chambers of his heart, and chanting “Onward,” are his family nucleus:  Love and Partner, Andi Thon Emerson; brother, Jason Obenauer; sister-in-law, Stephanie Huber; friend and mother to his children, Christie Huber Obenauer and her husband, Matt Clarys; children Isaak Obenauer, Kordon Obenauer, Elle Obenauer, and their significant others Maggie Steffen and Judd Johnsrud; Juno Obenauer, Bohdan Obenauer, Magnus Obenauer and Rohan Obenauer; Parents in Love, Harvey and Kathy Huber; second parents, Gary and Maxine Beckwith; Uncles-like-brothers, Gordon (Lisa) Kessel, Greg (Stacey) Kessel, and Gary Santiago; aunt, Carolyn Kessel; and many cousins and concentric circles of family.

Preceeding him were his parents, Jerry and Leona Obenauer, his grandparents, George and Mary Kessel, and Richard Obenauer and Martha Obenauer, beloved Aunt Bernice Santiago, and Uncle Gal Kessel, and sister-in-law Callie Huber Meehan.

Be brave.  Be Bold.  Make a difference.  Jerry showed us how, and we are honored to follow the tracks he left us.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial in honor of Jerry's legacy to the Bison Boosters, or Sakakawea Medical Center Foundation.  Memorials can be sent to Union State Bank; PO Box 468; Hazen, ND  58545-0468.  

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