Arnold Kallis
Arnold Alfred Kallis passed away on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin, ND at the age of 97, surrounded by his family.
Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, December 19, 2022, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, New Leipzig, with the Pastor John Amundson officiating.
Arnold Kallis was born in Hettinger County February 16, 1925, to Gottlieb and Emily (Krause) Kallis. He attended a one-room schoolhouse until the eighth grade. He always said he wished he could have stayed one more year and finished his times tables, but the farm was calling him to work. At the age of ten, Arnold got to take his first load of grain to the town of Odessa. He said he could barely see over the back end of the horse. Being scared and nervous, he had to shovel the grain out of the wagon. He had two cents for licorice and bubble gum, and went back to the farm. Arnold worked on the farm and helped his father, cousin Adolph Kallis, and his uncle Wilhelm Kallis with the thrashing crew in the area. At age sixteen, there was a coal mine accident south of the farm. Several workers were trapped underground and suffocating from the exhaust. Arnold helped set up a threshing machine to blow the smoke out of the coal mine shaft, and get the people out safely.
At the age of 18, Arnold moved to Nebraska where he met his wife Irene (Weimer). They married on February 16, 1947. The couple moved back to North Dakota where their son, Marvin Kallis, was born on February 2, 1949. In 1952, Gottlieb had a tragic tractor accident and Arnold was tasked with caring for two families.
Arnold enjoyed working with his son Marvin, selling McNess Mineral, custom hay grinding, custom spraying, and farming. He loved nothing more than having his grandkids on the farm with him. As soon as you were out of diapers, you had a job to do. The grandkids would have a pillow in the tractors so they could ride along, take naps, and stay all day waiting for grandma to bring lunch. It was the best time of day eating fried egg sandwiches in the field. Arnold made sure everyone was doing their part; he taught each of them the ins and outs of feeding the cows and calves, working cattle, gathering eggs for grandma, and eventually learning how to drive some farm equipment.
Arnold loved his teams of horses. He would often talk about how proud he was of them and show you the pictures of them. He also had a favorite horse when he was young named Sadie. It was one of the first horses he trained. One of his proudest moments was the purchase of his mini donkey, Ginny (part zebra, according to him). Arnold took that mini donkey on a trail ride all the way to Almont and was the talk of the ride. He thought it was so funny to take the minis into the bar; that was his kind of humor. If there was a parade or tractor run, Arnold would be there. When he could no longer ride the horse or carts, he started to drive his tractors. He loved taking the grandkids on his tractors. He was very proud of his horses and tractors. He loved sharing them with everyone, but especially his family.
Arnold loved going to town to play cards, being a part of the Oktoberfest, telling stories, visiting with friends, telling a good (sometimes dirty) joke, eating good food, dancing, and having a good time!
Arnold stayed on the farm as long as he could, into his mid-90s. He hated leafy spurge, and was still spraying it and fencing at the age of 94, with the help of his grandkids and good friend, David Grieger. In recent years, he was a resident at Dakota Hills assisted living in Elgin, but could still be seen attending dances, getting ice cream, and driving around with his special friend, Diane Hartman.
Arnold, in his wisdom of 97 years, would say his generation was a lot different than the generation of today. Maybe what he was trying to say was, “I’m sorry”. At the end of the day, he truly loved his family and his friends.
Arnold is survived by his sisters Lila (Stanley) Schneider, Gladys (Daryl) Birdsall, and Delora (Bob) Dubs. He is also survived by four grandchildren: Theresa Wolf (Casey Kuch), Bismarck; Kristie (Scott) Tschida, Mandan; Carrie (Mark) Duppong, Glen Ullin; Tim (Kelsy) Kallis, Mandan; his great grandchildren: Dakota Wolf, Mason Emerson, and Isaiah, Kennedy, Rebecca, and Scott Tschida, Ethan, Allyssa, and Lizzy Duppong, Kaden and Aliva Kallis, and Abby Husfloen. Arnold was preceded in death by his parents, Gottlieb and Emily; his wife, Irene; his son, Marvin and daughterin- law, Connie Kallis; his brother, Ray Kallis; and his sister Adeline Schram.