Joseph Wax

October 18, 2026, Dr. Joseph Wax formality of Minot currently of Flasher passed away at the age of 96. Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, October 24 at 9:30 AM at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Flasher with Fr. Frank Schuster presiding. Burial will take place at 1:30 PM at Rosehill Cemetery in Minot. Visitation will be held on Friday, October 23 from 4-6 PM with a Rosary/Parish Vigil at 6 PM at Weigel Funeral Home in Mandan. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the funeral.

On March 19, 1930 seven miles southeast of Lefor North Dakota, in a house without plumbing and a stove for heat, Joseph “no middle name” Wax is born. It is a Wednesday. Saint Joseph’s Day. “Sepp” is the fifth of nine children born to Hungarian-German immigrants Nick and Margaret (Shabery) Wax.

Moving to Dickinson, Joseph does not thrive academically, but excels at sports and mischief. In 1951, he joins the National Guard Rifle Company and ships off to Korea to join the 2nd Infantry. Arriving at The Battle of Heart Break Ridge in early September he is involved in the main action. Joseph’s Company is assigned Hill 687 and eventually takes it after multiple days of see-saw battles resulting in an attrition rate of over 70%. Returning from Korea Joseph is offered a scholarship to Notre Dame to run in track. He declines in order to enjoy hunting while pursuing a college degree and playing football as a Savage at Dickinson State.

Joseph flourishes in college earning a Bachelors from Dickinson State, a Masters from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Doctorate from the University of ND. While at Dickinson he letters in both track and football. He never stops learning or enjoying physical activity. Every day he finds time to read and jog five miles. He is a black Belt in Shin Ryu and the finest of shotgun and rifle shots.

Joseph’s professional career spanned 42 years that included teaching and coaching at Souris, Riverdale and Ray; Coaching and Principal at Granville; Principal at Model and Campus Laboratory Schools; And a Tenured Professor at Minot State University. He influenced so many students over his lifetime that it is a strange day when he does not encounter one.

Joseph found humor in the most difficult of situations. Humor was his cooling lotion on the hot rashes of life. He also never sweated the small stuff or held a grudge. He knew what his immigrant Father knew: that worry and anger destroys the vessel it is carried in. Though Joseph accomplished much he was always humble. Those with experience in higher education, know that the humble path does not suffer from heavily traffic by professors.

His greatest love was Val. He married Valeria E. Kuhn on December 28, 1955. Together they raised six children. Val, on a school teacher’s salary, while Joseph was teaching in the fall-winter-spring and going to graduate school in the summer, kept the house in one piece and everyone fed. Unfortunately on November 28, 1994 Val passes, but not before the two of them set sail six children: Valeria Wax, Joseph (Mary) Wax, John Wax, Peter (Sherry Niesar) Wax, Mary (Charles, deceased) Goldsborough, and Mark (Jocelyn) Wax; Grandchildren, Kalindi (Jordan), Scott (Camber), Kaitlin (Adam), Jessica (Linzi), Nicholas (Tiffany), Helen, Genevieve, Mikaila (Lane), Hanna Rose (deceased), Derek (Mollie), Benjamin (Amber); Great Grandchildren, Makaya (Mason), Brayler, Tayce, Kayman, Randall, Luke, Grayson, Kia, Kash, Kloie, and Lillian.

Joseph’s second love was hunting and being outdoors. No greater gift could be awarded than to ride in the smoke-filled vehicle on the way to an early morning hunt with Joseph and his solder buddies. Once dangerous men, now boys grown old sharing stories of daring and danger. Real stories interlaced with insults that weep of mutual respect and understanding. But once at the pond or the field, the old men become boys again and each decoy, each hiding spot needed to be set and adjusted just so. These once dangerous men have all drawn the short straw. Now the last soldier will “bug out” to join them. Maybe at a duck pond or a pheasant field, but wherever it will be a good day to go hunting.

Joseph is preceded in death by his parents Nick and Margaret and all his sibling, Barbara, Marcus, Nick, Peter, John, Margaret, Helen, Anton, and his wife Valeria.