Obituary/Curtis Ward Nyegaard, 83

Curtis Ward Nyegaard, 83 years of age, passed away from a ruptured aortic aneurysm at Kittson Memorial Hospital on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 8:03 pm in the presence of his wife. It was at this moment his faith became sight.

He was born on August 19, 1942, in Farmerville, Louisiana, at home on his momma’s Feather tick mattress. His parents, Clarence Walker and Clara Donne Ward, welcomed him as their 4th child. He enjoyed fishing, coon hunting, canoeing, camping, outdoor farm work, and was very family focused during his life. He was the first in his family to attend and graduate postsecondary education, even though he barely graduated from high school with a 1.8 GPA. He was told he was not college material, yet attended LA Tech and LSU, graduating with his master’s degree and working in the Ag sciences. He also achieved his Professorate rank from NDSU. Curtis was the longest serving extension agent ever (20+ years) in Kittson County. He served for another 7 years in Roseau County and after retiring worked a part-time position for antoher 3 years in Red Lake County. He was an ordained Minister through the Southern Baptist Convention, and his faith was more important to him than his vocational work.

He met Claudia on a mission trip to Oregon in the summer of ‘63. The rules of the mission trip were that no dating was allowed, so Curtis liked to joke he just moved in with his future wife. Her family was the host family, so technically he did follow the rules of the mission trip. They dated by letters for 2.5 years and were married on July 8, 1966. They were married for 59+ years and had four children. Second only to his Faith was his Family. Curtis and Claudia were models of Christ’s love for each of us.

He is survived in death by his wife, Claudia (Hallock), his four children, Curt and Wendy (Shevlin), John and Janelle (Hallock), Scott and Deanna (Cass Lake), Lorri and Steve Yoder (Bemidji).

His grandchildren include Bruce (Emily) Westover, Kayla (Tyler) Mistic, David (Emily) Nyegaard, Stephen Nyegaard, Nolan (Adrianna) Nyegaard, Megan (Vonn) Pankratz, Dylan (Madison) Nyegaard, Colton (Jordan) Nyegaard, Emilie (Brady) Gleason, Lillian (Noah) Piller, Kyle, Ella and Zackary Yoder. His Great Grandchildren include Lindy, William and Evelyn Westover, Rosella and Weston Nyegaard, Dakota, Shilo, River, Mikah (Nyegaard) Pankratz, Jaxon Nyegaard, and Orrin Nyegaard.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Clara Nyegaard; siblings, Lorraine Womack, Don Nyegaard, and Callie Ann Nyegaard; grandchild, Craig Nyegaard; and great grandchild, Darwyn John Nyegaard.

Curtis’ Legacy is defined by his faith. He modeled Christ’s love and was intentional to share with whomever was willing to take 45 minutes to 1.5 hours for a brief sharing about Christ! He pastored, taught Sunday-school, led countless Bible studies, and daily witnessed at the coffee shop with the local community.

Family Service to be held at Austin Funeral Chapel, Hallock, MN, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, with prayers at 6:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Funeral Services to be held at Lancaster Covenant Church at 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 1st. 

Interment to follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Hallock.