Dale Maasjo

Dale Allen Maasjo, born on July 25, 1952, in Valley City, North Dakota, was the son of Clifford Oswald and Martha Harriet (Johnson) Maasjo. He grew up in rural Nome and attended school there through the tenth grade before graduating from Fingal High School. Dale went on to study at NDSCS, then returned home to farm—raising cows, horses, chickens, pigs, sheep, dogs, cats, and tending to the land he loved.

In 1973, he married his high school sweetheart, Becky McLeod. Together, they built a life on their farm west of Nome, raising two children, Dustin and Dana, and instilling in them the values of service, kindness, and care for others.

In his early years you could have found Dale playing softball for the Nome team. There were many hobbies he enjoyed throughout his life; coaching baseball for the Nome Fingal teams, deer hunting, feeding grape jelly to the many varieties of orioles in the yard, fishing, golfing, playing cards, restoring metal toys, and tending to his cats. He was especially fond of the trips out west hunting with Dustin and Becky and later Brendan and Carter.

 Dale was a man deeply rooted in his community. He served Nome, Barnes County, and the state of North Dakota in many capacities: as a member of the St. Petri Church Council, the Thordenskjold Township Board, and the Nome-Fingal JCs, Nome Civic Association, as a volunteer firefighter in Nome, as a Barnes County Commissioner, and as President of the North Dakota Association of County Officials. He worked at Meyer Equipment in Lisbon and AP Equipment in Valley City as a salesman. He also served on the board of the National Association of County Officials (NACo), worked as a lobbyist in Bismarck and Washington DC, and was a founding member of the legendary Thordenskjold Yacht Club. (Yes—Yacht Club.)

Dale brought the family across the country, creating unforgettable memories in places like Salt Lake City, Montana, Colorado, South Dakota, California, the Carolinas, Wyoming, Georgia, Washington, D.C., and riding in a black Mustang in Hawaii with Becky. He gave Dana her first taste of public service and inspired her to follow her own path of leadership and advocacy. Of course, no road trip—or summer evening—was complete without listening or watching a Minnesota Twins game. Dale rarely missed one and passed on his love for the game to his children and grandchildren.

A natural communicator, Dale never passed up a chance to visit—especially if it involved a cold (or lukewarm) Schmidt. He had a gift for listening, for solving problems, and for knowing the right thing to say. Whether it was catching up with friends at the Kathryn Bar, sharing a meal with Becky, visiting with folks at ShopNFuel and Hardware Hank in Enderlin, or chatting in the yard or on the road with a neighbor, Dale made people feel seen and cared for.

He had a deep love for local history and family genealogy and was the keeper of countless stories—many of which he shared during long conversations that no one wanted to end. Dale’s garden was his pride and joy. He grew fruit trees and vegetables of every kind, always experimenting with something new but especially loved his sweet corn crops. If it was fall and you crossed paths with him, chances were good you would leave with a bag of sweet corn from the back of his pickup, or a bag delivered to your house. Or perhaps you or your family enjoyed picking from the Maasjo pumpkin patch or one of his MAX pumpkins that he loved to share. Sharing his harvest brought him joy—and reminded us all that life is better when you build a bigger table.

While Dale wore many hats—husband, father, farmer, gardener, Twins superfan—his favorite role of all was Grandpa. He adored Brendan, Carter, Morgan, Jillian, and Jack. Watching Brendan and Carter play baseball, football, and basketball brought him immense pride, and he rarely missed a game. He was already looking forward to Morgan’s budding career with "The Squirrels."

Dale is survived by his wife of 52 years, Becky; his children, Dustin (Melissa) Maasjo and Dana (Bill) Stansbery; and his grandchildren, Brendan, Carter, Morgan, Jillian, and Jack, his brothers Dennis Maasjo (Becky Schroeder) and Darrel (Judy) Maasjo, brother in law Dan (Keatha) McLeod, sister in law Vicki (Don) Busta, brother in law Hal (RayAnn) McLeod, many nieces, nephews, and good friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Martha and Clifford; his sister, Gerri Fairfield; his in-laws, Ron and Beth McLeod; his brother-in-law, Barry Aasmundstad; and his granddaughter, Sophie Stansbery.

Dale wanted a time of sharing, he loved stories. Please join us Wednesday, July 16th at West Funeral Home in Casselton for a time of prayer and sharing at 7:00 PM and visitation from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Then again on July 17th at Dacotah Pavilion in Valley City from 5:00-8:00 PM for a celebration of life, drinks and food will be provided. Come as you are, come with stories, and remember a life well lived.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Enderlin HEART Program (221 3rd Ave, Enderlin, ND 58027) St. Petri Cemetery (5115 124th Ave SE Nome, ND 58062) or a charity of your own preference. And in Dale’s words—or at least his spirit—no matter what life gives you, keep your chin up.

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