Blaine Kotasek, 69, rural Minot, passed away on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at Trinity Hospital in Minot, ND following a short battle with cancer.
Blaine was born on March 4th, 1954, to Albert and Bernice Kotasek, in Minot, ND. He grew up on the family farm, north of Minot, and attended Eureka Township rural school. Blaine graduated from Minot High School in 1972 and briefly attended North Dakota State University. Blaine’s father, Albert, passed away in early 1974. This resulted in Blaine returning home from NDSU to operate the family farm, where he resided for the remainder of his life.
In his younger years, Blaine was an avid softball player, enjoying that time with the same group of guys for over 25 years. His passions were riding his Harley motorcycle in the summer and a multitude of Arctic Cat snowmobiles that he owned throughout the years, in the winter. On special occasions he could also be seen driving his pride and joy, a white 1974 Trans Am Firebird.
Blaine was a fixture in the Minot area where he was known and loved by many. Over the years, he was involved in many civic and fraternal organizations. Blaine was a board member of the Town & Country Credit Union, Eureka Township and of the North Prairie Rural Water Association. He was also a member of the Magic City Driftbusters Snowmobile Club, the Minot Chapter of the Harley Owners Group, the Dakota Cruisers Car Club, the Moose Lodge, and the Minot State Beaver Booster Club.
Blaine loved old snowmobiles and could often be found at various swap meets and snowmobile shows in the Upper Midwest. He had a well-known collection of vintage snowmobiles, including Scorpions and Arctic Cats, along with a grouping of odd ball low build sleds. He was a founding member of the vintage snowmobile show in Deering and was involved with many other shows and meets in the area. Many people took their first snowmobile and ATV rides under Blaine’s watchful eye, as he was always eager to land a new enthusiast to pass along the hobbies he loved.
In addition to snowmobiling, Blaine enjoyed spending his weekend evenings at various speedways in the Upper Midwest, where he loved to watch sprint car, open wheel, modified and late model races. He was an avid Donny Schatz fan, and also sponsored Todd Mickelson and Greg Nikitenko’s cars.
Throughout his lifetime, Blaine loved to watch live music and attended countless concerts. He was especially fond of early rock groups and loved the Eagles, The Doobie Brothers and many others. He attended their concerts whenever he could, often times dragged along anyone who was willing to join him. He was also an avid Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Twins fan and made many trips to visit his cousin, Wilda, and his stepsister, Kathy, to attend their games live.
Blaine was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Bernice, his stepfather, Millard Stoland and several aunts and uncles.
Blaine is survived by his sister, Debbie Kotasek, of Minot; stepsister, Kathy Schulz and her Husband Jody, of Woodbury, MN; stepbrother, Jerome Stoland, of Wolfforth, TX, and several cousins in both the United States and Canada, along with many good friends.
Funeral Service: Thursday, January 18th, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. in Zion Lutheran Church, Minot. A livestream of the service may be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/@ZionMinot/streams
Interment: Trinity Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Minot.
Visitation: Wednesday, January 17th, 2024 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
Memorials: are preferred to the donor’s choice.
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Blaine Kotasek, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
