James Ingolf Ringsrud

James Ingolf Ringsrud, Jr, 83, of Northwood, ND, died Wednesday, November 26, 2008, at the Northwood Deaconess Health Center. He was born on April 6, 1925, in Mayville, ND the son of James and Nellie (Birkeland) Ringsrud. James attended rural school in Morgan Township and also Mayville High School. After his schooling he worked on the family farm. James enlisted in July of 1950 with the United States Air Force, serving as an airplane mechanic. He was honorably discharged in 1954 and he returned to Fargo, ND, working for Farm Motors. On July 3, 1959, he married Patricia Percy Nightingale in Fargo. In the late 1960’s, they moved to Washington state were he worked for a lumber company. The couple returned to Fargo and James worked, as an engineer, for St. Johns Hospital and later at St. Ansgar Hospital in Moorhead, MN, retiring in 1989. James moved to Northwood in the late 1990’s and has resided at Northwood Deaconess Health Center since 2002. James big love in life was tractors. He restored over 30 Case and Massey Ferguson tractors over the years. He had restored a Thieman tractor that was 1 of only 6 ever made. James was featured on “Good Morning America” driving a tractor from Ashton, ID to Rollag, MN to the Orange Spectacular Steam Threshers Reunion. James also enjoyed flying. For a time, when he was young, he flew and worked on his own airplane. He is survived by six daughters: Leslie (David) Velascobaes of Arvilla, ND, Jamie Grosz of Hendrum, MN, Beverly (Glenn) Lange of WA, Becky (Curt) Jahnke of Durbin, ND, Diane (Paul) Shepard of Bemidji, MN and Lori Nightingale of CO.; 12 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren and one sister, Doris Braaten of Fargo, ND. James is preceded in death by his parents; one grandson, Cody Ringsrud; one great grandson, Coltan Sohl; 3 brothers, Gerhard, Leif and Lawrence and a son-in-law, Leo Grosz. Visitation: Will be 12 to 1 pm Wednesday at the Baker Funeral Home, Mayville Service: 1 pm Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at the Baker Funeral Home Chapel, Mayville Burial: Mayville Cemetery