Jerry Walter Crane of Fargo, North Dakota (75) passed away peacefully at the Fargo VA Hospital on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 after a long and courageous battle with myelodysplastic syndrome due to high Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. Jerry was born October 28, 1948 in Devils Lake, North Dakota to Walter “Red” Crane and Livonia (Schindele) Crane. A graduate of Devils Lake High School, Class of 1966, Jerry attended Lake Region State College to obtain a degree in Automotive Technology in 1968. Later that year, Jerry enlisted in the Navy. He was assigned to the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 58 Quarry Company (“Seabees”), serving bravely in the Vietnam War from 1968-1969. He was stationed in Chu Lai as a minesweeping/special security unit as well as a heavy equipment operator within the Seabees before being honorably discharged from service in August 1970 as an E-02.
Upon his return stateside, he was stationed in Davisville, Rhode Island until his unit was decommissioned, moving to the Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago for one year, all the while regularly making the long drive in his ’70 Dodge Challenger to see his future bride Monica Mardell Halvorson. The couple married in June 1971 and would have celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary on June 19th. He referred to her regularly as ‘his bride’ until his passing.
Jerry always worked tirelessly. In the 1960s, he did custom combining at Lakota and in the Southern U.S., worked at Firestone Tire Retreading, did construction with Barry Smith Construction Bureau of Reclamation, and janitorial, delivery and handyman work with the Fargo Public School System- all before starting with the Fargo Fire Department in 1973. He served as a firefighter for 31 years, taking a position with the Fire Prevention Bureau as a fire inspector/arson investigator with the City of Fargo in 1987. Throughout his time with the City of Fargo, he accumulated many hours of specialized courses around the country until the same schools requested that he return as an instructor. He regularly testified in court as a state witness and expert witness. He retired from service to the city in 2004. Never one to be idle, Jerry worked as a private fire investigator for Crawford, then as a truck driver for Pepsi Co., and then drove cabs and limousines for Lucky 7 Cabs. In 2007, he was asked to take on the role of North Dakota deputy state fire marshal and once again served the state until he had to medically retire in 2019 at the age of 70.
Jerry was first and foremost a family man. He and Monica had four children: Dion Drew, Jared Jess, Mindy Mardell, and Thea Terese. His children, and later his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, brought him immense joy and pride. Jerry was also an avid hunter, enjoying the time spent with his family members and friends beside him as much or more as the hunt itself. In his later years, Jerry reconnected with his Seabee brothers, attending many Seabee reunions across the nation. He looked forward to these reunions each year with great anticipation.
Jerry was a fighter- first in country, then against flames, and finally battling MDS for 10 years. He went through many rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, a full bone marrow transplant followed by 100 days of quarantine in the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System while his body rebuilt an immune system from scratch, and regular trips back to Nashville for testing. He was declared to be in remission, celebrating 3 “rebirthdays” before going back into treatment. He did at least 10 more rounds of chemotherapy with intermittent hospital stays for various health complications before ultimately succumbing to the disease.
Jerry is survived by his wife Monica (Halvorson) Crane (Fargo, ND); his four children Dion Crane (Shauna) of Mandan, ND, Jared Crane (Christa) of Fargo, ND, Mindy Rodke (John Lockwood) of Hawley, MN, and Thea Leak (Russell) of New Orleans, LA; his nine grandchildren Jada and Drew Crane, Andrew, Gavin, Kade, and Brielle Rodke, Stephanie (Billy) Jordan, Katie Gibb (David), and Rhiannon Leak; great-gandchildren Spencer and Grace Jordan; his sisters Jean Jurgens (Jim) and Jane Gage (Roger); sister-in-law Cynthia Crane; dozens of nieces, nephews, and cousins; and accumulated so many friends and adopted “kids” over the years. Jerry was preceded in death and welcomed Home by his father Walter “Red” Crane, mother Livonia Crane, sister Joanne File, twin brother James (Jim) Crane, father-in-law Howard Halvorson, mother-in-law Gertrude Halvorson, sister-in-law Kristine (Kris) Halvorson, and son-in-law Paul Rodke.
A vigil will be held on Sunday, June 23rd at 5pm at Boulger Funeral Home. Visitation begins at 3pm with a rosary at 4:30pm. A funeral mass with Father Luke Meyer presiding will be held on Monday, June 24th at 10am at Sts. Anne and Joachim Catholic Church. Visitation begins at 9am. Jerry will be buried with military honors following the funeral services at Fargo National Cemetery.
Jerry’s family would like to thank the staff at the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center, Fargo VA Hospital, and Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, along with many family members and friends for their care and support throughout this long journey.
