To view a delayed streaming of the service (available 1/13) access https://www.mtmsales.net/thomas
Wayne Kenneth Feldner, 78, Minot, died Thursday, January 5, 2023, in a Killdeer, ND nursing facility.
Wayne Kenneth Feldner was born July 29, 1944, at the Kenmare Community Hospital to Walter and Norene (Flaherty) Feldner in Kenmare, ND. He was given the middle name “Kenneth” in honor of his uncle, Kenneth Feldner, who was fighting in WWII in Europe. Wayne was very proud of his uncle and his middle name, and always insisted everyone use his middle initial. He was the third of four children. Fay and Gary were older, and Dean was the youngest. He was raised on a farm southeast of Donnybrook and attended St. Anthony’s Catholic Church during his younger years. Once he left home and moved to Minot, he joined St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, where he ushered for many years.
He graduated from Donnybrook High School in 1963. The classes did not excite Wayne, but he excelled at extracurricular activities! His school class was small, and they have been a tight-knit group up to this day. As a little boy living on the farm, he always found something to do. He would choose a favorite kitten out of each litter and they would sleep in the hayloft together on a rainy day. Another favorite pastime was lying on top of the outside cellar door and watching the trains go by. He never owned a bicycle but had a horse to ride and joined the local saddle club. Wheels came next, and he started out with a little scooter he rode to school before graduating to cars – a favorite topic amongst the guys.
With two brothers and a sister at home to help around the farm, Wayne was chosen to live with his bachelor uncle, John Flaherty, and grandma Flaherty during the summers in Berthold, ND. The work was hard, but he did it without complaint. Everything was a new learning experience, even going to Minot with his uncle and granny doing 80 mph to get to the grocery store. Granny liked to go fast, and would tell her son, “Go faster, faster Johnnie!”
Wayne knew at an early age he wanted to run heavy equipment or be a barber. With no money to further his education he put barbering aside. After high school, Wayne started working for Neshem-Peterson Co. running heavy equipment. He also joined the Army National Guard doing his basic training at Fort Leonardwood, MO. His boss got him a deferment for the summer so he could work heavy equipment before leaving for basic training. He came home 30 pounds lighter with a hip injury that would bother him the rest of his life. In 1969, he built flood dikes in Minot during the flood for the ND Army National Guard.
On June 25, 1971, he married Linda Flath of Max, ND at Our Savior Lutheran in Max. They lived in Minot for the first tow years of their marriage and then built a home north of Burlington, ND where they lived for 29 years. Their son, Dan, was born on Sunday, Mother’s Day May 9, 1976 – a bicentennial baby!
Wayne’s heavy equipment jobs took him all over the state, which was the one part he did not care for after he was married and a father. Some of his other jobs included survey work in Montana, working for Lockheed Aircraft, and farming for his father-in-law for ten years near Max. Once again, he was working 35 miles from home, and the decades he chose to farm were not the best years for farming. In 1999, Wayne retired from farming. He would close out his work career as a custodian for UniMed Hospital and Our Redeemer’s School. At the age of 61, he was forced into retirement due to ill health. In 2001, Wayne and Linda moved into a condo in Minot. His mother-in-law had passed on, so his father-in-law lived with them in the condo until his death in 2008.
Wayne was a member of St. John The Apostle Catholic Church, Eagles Aerie and the Moose Lodge, all of Minot. He belonged to the Donnybrook American Legion Post 195. Wayne was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing and spent many fall seasons chasing roosters and whitetails. He enjoyed riding snowmobile, was a fan of General Motors and once owned a 1969 Pontiac GTO. He was also proud of his green, 1979 Ford F-150 with a white topper that he named the Green Bean. It had an inline six-cylinder engine that family could always hear when he arrived home. In addition, he loved classic Volkswagen Bugs and owned two over the course of his life. He will be deeply missed by all who were blessed to share in his life.
Wayne is survived by: his loving wife of 51 years, Linda; one very special son, Dan, and one very special grandson, Danny Mourning, both of Minot; brother, Dean (Cindy Bryans) of Donnybrook; three nieces, Tana (Eric Sorgaard) Schnell, Buena Vista, CO, Sandi (Schnell) Geiger of Mandan, ND and Valerie (Chad Weigel) Feldner of Minot; nephew David (Jade) Feldner on the farm in Donnybrook and one great-nephew.
Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, mother and father-in-law, Dan and Gladys Flath, Max; sister Fay Feldner Schnell of Mandan; brother Gary Feldner, Minot; and a special nephew, Matthew Geiger of Mandan.
Mass of Christian Burial: 11:00 a.m. Thursday, January 12, 2023, at St. John The Apostle Catholic Church, Minot. To view a delayed streaming of the service (available 1/13) access https://www.mtmsales.net/thomas
Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens, Minot, ND
Visitation: Wednesday, January 11, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
Memorials are preferred to the donor’s choice.
