Vernon Boeshans
Vernon Boeshans Obituary
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Vernon Boeshans of Beulah, ND died at home on Friday, August 1, 2025, after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis and exacerbating illnesses. He was 86. A non-denominational Celebration of Life will be held at Beulah Civic Center on Saturday, August 16 at 11:00 AM CT. Vern chose not to be interred.
Vern was born the second child to Fred P. and Lydia (Weidner) Boeshans on May 25, 1939. Vern grew up on the family farm north of Beulah with his six siblings and was often paired with his older brother, Fred A. “Fritz” Boeshans. They remained close throughout their lives. He attended country school until 8th grade, then went to Beulah High School. He remembered attending Kronthal Church where men/boys were seated on the right and women/girls on the left. In his recollection, one particular day during services, he and a couple other boys were misbehaving in a pew up front and he heard the ominous sound of his mother’s tread upon the wooden boards of the center aisle. They were reminded there are no shenanigans in church.
He graduated from Beulah High School in 1957, and NDSU in 1964 with a B.S. in Animal Sciences. He returned to the family farm until 1967 before being hired by Production Credit Association (PCA), beginning a decades long career in farm services and finance, first in Wishek and eventually accepting several promotions over 20 years. He moved into independent contracting with Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), and later taught Adult Farm Business Management in Glen Ullin . His last few years before retirement were spent in Elgin with Farmers State Bank as a senior loan officer. Always a farmer at heart, Vern continued to help his brothers with farm tasks into his 80s.
Vern Boeshans and Lillian Brunmeier married on October 16, 1981, having met at a wedding dance. In 1984, they began developing land by Lake Sakakawea for a recreational site. It was a common sight for 30 years to see Vern and Fritz side by side, on tractors, working on docks, or mowing until Fritz’s passing in 2014. Over 40 years, Vern worked to create a beautiful place full of trees, gardens, and his beloved song birds. He enjoyed nothing more than spending time on Lake Sakakawea, fishing pole in hand. His kids will fondly remember boating trips to rock hop and picnic on a sunny day. He hosted many hunting trips with his good friend, Bill (Kay) Frost, as well as introducing the next generation through sons and nephews, although he couldn’t get his daughter and younger son interested. He enjoyed many fishing trips to Amisk Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada, always at Angell’s Resort, starting in the 1970s with his brother Fritz and then their father. He continued caravanning up with family and friends in vans pulling boats through the late 2010s. His kids liked to joke about these “working vacations” because Vern was always happiest with a task to complete, always a to-do list in his pocket.
Vern’s family will remember his caring nature and deep commitment to fair play, as well as his (mostly) soft-spoken nature. He retained a consideration for others to the end of his life. It was great fun for all the kids when Vern and siblings would start sharing stories from their upbringing and their parents’ generation. He didn’t like being “fussed over” or imposing upon others. In his last weeks he asked his family several times if he should be moved to a care facility. The answer was always, “We want you here with us.” He died at home, with the window open to wind, bird song, and children playing outside.
Vern is survived by his wife of 43 years, Lillian; two sons, Grant Boeshans (Erin Wetzel) (Bismarck, ND) & Derek Boeshans (Beulah, ND), & one daughter Kristin Boeshans (Noah Files) (Des Moines, IA); sister Mable Singer (Moorhead, MN); brothers Wayne “Butch” (Iris) Boeshans, & Jerome (Jane) Boeshans (both of Beulah, ND); brothers-in-law Don (Mary) Kramer (Minneapolis, MN), & John H. Buchmann (Beulah, ND) and Duane Boeshans; sister-in-law, Bette Jane Boeshans (Beulah, ND); and many beloved nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother Fred A. “Fritz” Boeshans; sisters Sylvia Kramer & Kathleen “Patty” Fandrich; brothers-in-law, Henry Singer, Clyde Fandrich, & Keith Bohrer; sisters-in-law Linda Buchmann & Gladys Bohrer; nephews Scott Singer & Todd Singer; and longtime friend, Bill Frost.
In lieu of flowers, donations are preferred to Sakakawea Medical Center (SMC) Hospice, who provided exceptional support to Vern and family in his last weeks.
Arrangements are conducted by Barbot Funeral Home, Beulah and Hazen.
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