Kelly Halvorson

Kelly Ernest Halvorson, age 62, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at home in West Fargo on October 21, 2024. Kelly was born on December 8, 1961 in Fargo to Raleigh David Halvorson and Joyce Elaine Troite (JET) Halvorson. A middle child, Kelly grew up with big sister Lea and little brother Troy. He married Nancy Renee Bailly of Horace, ND on October 7, 1989 and they welcomed their only son Eric into the family in 1991.

Ever a tinkerer, Kelly excelled at small engines in high school, which led to a job as a motorcycle mechanic. He spent the rest of his career as a building maintenance engineer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, and later at West Fargo High School. Though formally retired in 2022, he also maintained and rented out two small apartment buildings down the block until the end. He was as good with people as he was with tools, generously sharing repair skills with neighbors and offering his time at church or high school set building where his son was active in theater. He was known for saying “Good Morning!” at all hours, and could always be counted on for a good laugh. He valued simplicity and dependability, and lived out “reduce, reuse, recycle” as automatically as breathing.

Kelly is survived by wife Nancy; son Eric (Reed) Fowler; sister Lea (Tim) Cockayne; brother, Troy (Shelly) Halvorson; step-mother Bonnie Swanson; mother-in-law Vivian Bailly; father-in-law Robert Bailly; sisters-in-law Cheryl (John) Johnson, Judy (Paul) Ceciliani; brothers-in-law John (Paula) Bailly, Merle (Lou) Bailly, Kenn Bailly; uncles Byron (Carolyn) Troite, LeRoy Pederson, Ardell Hildebrand; aunt Bea (Ralph) Alderman; goddaughters Danielle (Andrew) Lahn and Megan Bailly, many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.

He was preceded in death by his parents; aunts Louise Pederson, Ann (Dean) Holter, Bette Hildebrand, Teresa Eckren, Janice Hovelson, Sandra Gomez and Carol Olsen; uncles Lloyd, Hartley and Ernest, sister-in-law Janine Bailly.

Celebration of Life:  11 a.m. Thursday, October 31, 2024, at Faith & Journey Lutheran Church in West Fargo.

Visitation: Wednesday, October 30, 2024,  5 to 7 p.m. followed by a 7 p.m. Prayer Service in the West Funeral Home.

Interment:  Faith & Journey Columbarium in West Fargo.

West Funeral Home & Life Tribute Center

westfuneralhome.com

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