Joseph Kuntz

A funeral service for Joseph “Joe” M. Kuntz, 99, of Hazen, will be 1:00 p. m. CST, Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at St. Martin’s Catholic Church, Hazen with Father Thomas Grafsgaard celebrating with lunch to follow.  Burial and memorial will take place at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. CST on Thursday May 26, 2022.

 A visitation for Joe will be from 5:00 p. m. to 7:00 p. m. CST, Tuesday, May 24 at St. Martins Catholic Church in Hazen with a vigil at 7:00 p.m.

 Joe passed away Monday, April 18, 2022 at the age of 99 after a short stay at Sakakawea Medical Center.  Prior to that he was living and driving on his own.

Joseph M. Kuntz was born on the family farm south of Hebron on January 23, 1923, to Mathias and Mathilda (Loran) Kuntz.  He was 1 of 11 children. He attended a country school and continued to farm with his dad until he enlisted in the Navy in 1945.  He was at the first two nuclear bomb water tests at the Bikini atoll as part of Operation Crossroads.

 Joe met Mabel Flemmer at a dance at the Woodshed in Beulah.  Mabel and Joe were married on June 14, 1952.  He worked as an automobile mechanic at his own shop in Hazen until he became the mechanic for Oster Construction until he took a job at the Glenn Harrold lignite coal mine.  He retired from the Glenn Harrold mine in 1987.

Joe and Mabel became the parents of one daughter Cheryl (Shari) and one son, Joel who all attended Hazen schools.  His life revolved around his family and family responsibilities but he also loved the outdoors and was an avid sportsman.  Joe was the last of the founding members of the Zap Sportsman’s Club.  He was also a member of the 7th Calvary F Troop reenactment group.  He had a deep love for horses as did his daughter Shari.  He greatly enjoyed hunting, shooting and fishing with his son Joel.  Joe loved to ride horses, team roping, hunting, fishing, shooting firearms and archery, pool, horse shoes and playing cards.  At 99 he still played world class poker and pinochle. The day before he went into the hospital he had the best string of cards he had in his life.  He loved playing Texas Hold’em at Jims.  He was a founding member of the Zap Sportmans Club and Hazen Archery Club.  Joe continued to live in Hazen after Mabel passed in 2005.

Joe is survived by his children, Shari of Show Low AZ and Joel of Ham Lake MN

Those who preceded him in death included his wife, Mabel; six brothers, Tom, Mike, Leo, Phillip, John and Raymond; four sisters, Rose, Ann, Regina and Lorraine.

 Arrangements conducted by Barbot Funeral Home, Beulah and Hazen.

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