LeRoy Helbling

LeRoy P. Helbling, age 63, a lifelong Mandan resident, passed away unexpectedly on July 31, 2025, at his beloved ranch southwest of Mandan, doing chores with his wife, Rosemary, by his side.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mandan, with Fr. Josh Waltz celebrating. Burial will be at Mandan Union Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5-7 PM on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, with a Parish Rosary & Vigil at 7 PM. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday.

LeRoy was born September 3, 1961, the seventh of eight children to Jacob A. & Rose (Boehm) Helbling. He attended Rural School No. 1 southwest of Mandan, Christ the King School, and Mandan High School. After school, he worked for a short time at Trinity Builders and Zora, Inc.

Helbling Hereford Ranch was established by LeRoy’s grandparents, Peter V. & Rose Helbling, in 1914. LeRoy’s parents purchased it in the late 1950’s, after Peter & Rose moved into town. In 1985, LeRoy purchased the ranch from his parents. On October 3, 1986, LeRoy married the love of his life, Rosemary Graner in Mandan. They worked side by side as a team for over 38 years, raising Hereford cattle, alfalfa, hay, corn, and oats and kept a well-maintained farm. LeRoy loved tinkering and restoring machinery. He was mechanically inclined from a young age and loved restoring International Harvester trucks, tractors, and other equipment. He was happiest when working with his trucks, machinery, cattle, and crops. He took great pride in his vehicles, always driving a red pickup. Articles on LeRoy and Rosemary’s International Harvester equipment were featured in AgWeek and published in various newspapers.

LeRoy was known for his sense of humor, and one of his many trademarks was passing out Tootsie Rolls to his family and friends. He knew hundreds of people and had a great wealth of knowledge and historical information about the Morton County community.

LeRoy was a loyal friend to many people. Following the death of his first cousin, Tim Johnson, in January 2025, LeRoy kept a big promise he’d made to Tim by helping with his ranching operation west of Mandan after his passing. LeRoy would drive to Tim’s farm twice a day to help and check on things and then go home and take care of his own operation. Along with the help of other friends and neighbors, they sold Tim’s cattle and were in the process of getting the ranch and equipment ready for sale.

Blessed to have shared in his life is his wife of 38 years, Rosemary Helbling, Mandan; four sisters, Sonja (Michael) Wiser, Bismarck, Marlys (Don) Rychlik, Mandan, Jackie (Rey) Castillo, Sacramento, CA, and Gloria Fox, Vancouver, WA; his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Claudia (Ron) Bell, Louaine (Greg) Wetch, Roger (Becky) Graner, and Virginia Mehlhoff (Dan Kraft), all of Mandan; his beloved dog, Axel; as well as numerous nieces and nephews and countless friends.

LeRoy was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Yvonne (Jim) Hurkes, Charmaine Helbling, and Juliana Helbling; brother-in-law, William Fox; in-laws, Leland and Angela Graner; and nephews, Jesse Wetch and Rowdy Graner.

The family would like to thank Weigel Funeral Home, St. Joseph Catholic Church, and the Mandan Eagles for their help and support. Special thanks to Barber Mike and Bev Klostreich who are considered part of our family. Also, to all of our family and friends who’ve already offered and showed up to help with the farm, we appreciate you so much.

In November 2022, articles on LeRoy & Rosemary’s International Harvester equipment were featured in AgWeek.

The same article featured in AgWeek was published by WDAY TV New s and the Dickinson Press.

Another article was published by Ground News: International Harvester enthusiast stays in the black by using decades-old red iron.

There is also a YouTube article entitled: “Local Farmer Still Using Equipment From The 70s.” The video was published two years ago and currently has over 542,000 views and 1,116 comments.