Henry L. Kucera
Henry L. Kucera, 92, of Fargo, North Dakota, passed away peacefully in the presence of his son & daughter on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at Corwell Health Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph, MI.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held 4:00 P.M. Friday, May 5, 2023 at Messiah Ev. Lutheran Church, 2010 Elm St., Fargo, ND, with Rev. Joel Westby officiating. Private burial will take place at Hillside Cemetery in Fessenden, ND. Donations in Henry’s name may be made to Messiah Ev. Lutheran Church- Hour of Worship, PO Box 1562, Fargo, ND 58107 or the Henry Kucera Ag. Engineering Scholarship Fund @NDSU, www.ndsufoundation.com, 701-231-6800. Those wishing to sign Henry’s Memory Book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com.
Henry was born July 15, 1930 in Fargo to Henry T. & Mary (Shaver) Kucera. He graduated from Fessenden High School, Class of 1948 and received an appointment to West Point but failed the eye test so he returned to the family farm in Hamburg. Henry served his country in the US Air Force during the Korean War and following his service, enrolled in the North Dakota Air National Guard, retiring nineteen years later as Lieutenant Colonel. Henry earned his Masters Degree in Agricultural Engineering from North Dakota State University and taught there for thirty-three years.
Henry had a passion for connection with his family, students and fellow faculty and community. He kept pertinent information on his iPhone to remember birthdays and other special occasions for a personal greeting. His list totaled more than 2000 names and dates. In Henry’s life after retirement, he made it a priority to call and visit his many family & friends daily. Henry was named teacher of the year numerous times over his career and awarded the status of Professor Emeritus.
Following retirement, Henry continued to take classes and support the teams at ND State University to keep his brain working and for recreation & entertainment. He had taken sixty-plus classes from history to genetics to entomology.
Henry had a wide variety of interests. He enjoyed cars with all the bells & whistles, anything mechanical- cars, tractors & farm equipment, and even earned his private pilot’s license. He was a member of the Messiah Lutheran Church in Fargo since 1967 and supported their Hour of Worship TV broadcasts, was a member of Agricultural Engineer Society of America and the Valley Senior Services Center in Fargo.
Henry is survived by his children-Keith (Maria) Kucera of Sunnyvale, CA, Robin (James) Kramer of St.
Joseph, MI; five grandchildren-Christian (Lisa) Kucera, Thomas (Mica) Kucera, Allison (Jon) Voss, Jacob (Shannon) Kramer & Candice Kramer; ten great-grandchildren-Elsa, Sofia, Anders & Vera Voss, Caroline & Elizabeth Kramer, Adler & Kelby Kucera, Caleb & Nathan Kucera; and nieces & nephews-Dean (Sue) Nelson, Ardine (Fred) Nelson; and numerous great-nieces & great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister and brother-in-law Geraldine & Arthur Nelson.
“May the Good Lord Bless and Keep All of Us.” Henry
