Balzer "Butch" Ternes

Balzer (Butch) Ternes lived a full 88 years that quietly ended Oct. 23, 2026, surrounded by his wife and family. His life was one of steady devotion and the kind of everyday character that never needed recognition to matter deeply.

His life will be celebrated with a funeral service on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan followed by a burial service at 2 p.m. at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan.

Growing up as the youngest boy in a family of 14, he learned early how to hold his own — and how to make himself useful. His childhood on the farm in Shields, N.D., shaped him in ways that stayed with him for life: a deep love of horses, a respect for hard work, and a knack for fixing just about anything with whatever tools were on hand.

He graduated from Flasher High School and served in the U.S. Army for three years with pride, humility, and the steady sense of duty that came so naturally to him.

He met and married Joan Jansen in 1969 and together they built a marriage that lasted 58 years.

He started his career in construction and soon began working for Oliver-Mercer Electric, settling in Hazen where he & Joan raised three daughters, Doris, Kaye, and JoDee. He spent his 30-year career as a lineman, a job that suited him perfectly — steady, demanding, and full of purpose. He took pride in keeping the lights on for others, no matter the weather or the hour. At home, that same instinct to protect showed up in the trunk of his car, which was always packed with a winter survival kit. His girls never pulled out of the driveway without knowing he had already thought of every possible emergency and prepared for it.

Outside of work, he was a craftsman through and through. Woodworking wasn’t just a hobby; it was his love language. He built toys, furniture, keepsakes — each piece made with meticulous care and precision. His children and grandchildren treasure those creations not just because they’re beautiful, but because they’re pieces of him: his humor, his patience, his stubborn perfectionism, and his joy in making something that would last.

Retirement in 2000 didn’t slow him down. He and Joan moved to Center, N.D. and he used his time to do what he loved — wandering auction sales, discovering forgotten treasures, and bringing them back to life with the same careful hands that once climbed poles and shaped wood. Every antique he restored came with a story, and he told those stories with a sparkle in his eye, proud of the history he was preserving and the craft he had mastered.

But nothing he built or restored ever meant as much to him as the family he created and who became the center of his world. When grandchildren arrived, his heart simply expanded again. They were his pride, his joy, and his favorite audience for tall tales, gentle teasing, and the kind of wisdom only he could deliver.

Balzer leaves behind a legacy built not from grand gestures, but from steady hands, good stories, and a lifetime of showing up for the people he loved. His craftsmanship lives on in the toys and treasures he made, his stories live on in the memories he shared, and his devotion lives on in the family he shaped.

Those who loved him will miss his quiet humor, his gentle guidance, and the way he could fix just about anything. They will carry forward the lessons he taught simply by living: work hard, take care of your family, keep your tools sharp, shake the dice, and always leave things better than you found them.

Balzer was preceded in death by his parents, Anselm and Deonella (Braun) Ternes; brothers Ambrose, Bill, Lenus, Raymond, Bert, Al, Baldwin, and Larry, sister Claudina, as well many members of his large extended family, whose memories he carried with him throughout his life.

Surviving him are his wife, Joan; daughters Doris (Kevin) Cooper, Kaye Ternes, and JoDee (Blair) Holzer along with his three grandchildren, BriAnna Menge, Pierce Cooper, and Grace Cooper. He is also survived by four sisters, Linda Gustin, Minnie (Ron) Keller, Alvina Buck, and Anisa Begger, and many, many nieces and nephews.

Balzer’s hands built so much in this world. Now his rest is well‑earned, and his legacy is firmly, lovingly in place.