Elsie Tormaschy

Elsie was born to George and Barbara (Beckler) Messmer on July 25, 1938 on their family farm near Hirschville, ND. 

 She was one of nine children, so there were always shenanigans. When the parents would go to Dickinson, each child eagerly awaited their turn to go along with the promise of a dime to spend and the thrill of the trip to the big city! With such a full house, Christmas was very simple in terms of gifts, yet very joyous. There was always an abundance of fresh baked goodies, turkey & ham, and sing-alongs as Pa played violin, Ma played piano.

 “I was good at spelling and my father thought it would be a good idea if I would go there (Dunn county Spelling Bee) and participate. I was 11 years old. And I was very much afraid. But I did whatever my father wanted me to. The word they asked me to spell was Constantinople. I got it right and with that, I won 1st place. And I won a girl’s mirror, a hair comb & brush. He was so proud of me and I guess I was proud of myself.”

 Sadly, Elsie’s father passed away young. As an elder child, she had to help quickly fill the gap of their deceased father. Her mother, Barbara, sold the farm house and moved the family to Dickinson, North Dakota. Elsie worked, when not in school, at the Baker Boy Bake Shop and all of her wages went to keep the household functioning. The bond between mother and daughter grew strong. They talked daily, even until Barbara passed away in May, 2005.

 Elsie met Roger Tormaschy at Gladstone High School. They married on May 27, 1957. They farmed north of Gladstone for two years. Elsie frequently spoke about marrying into the farming family and learned quickly. Such as “it would be very helpful if you could drive the two-ton harvest truck to the grain elevator (7 miles away).” The window of opportunity to get a six month endeavor from ripe to safely store at the elevator is quick. One trip takes a person off of field ops for 2 hours. At 19 years old and a first timer, they coached her using the stick shift in the field. “You’re good to go!” She was tiny - 105lbs soaking wet - and handled 22,000 lbs of gross weight. You could see the road gravel pass below you through a hole in the floor boards. The biggest hill in the county was the Meuke (Mickey) hill. “Start down shifting when you get to the fence post with the upside down can on it.” Eventually, the truck inched forward in 1st gear and took the summit in 10 minutes, though it seemed like 20. This was totally normal with this new family. It was intense on-the-job training. It was the polar opposite of making jelly filled donuts.

 The challenges of the early years of farming were overwhelming. They pulled the plug on farming and headed for Texas to work for a traveling harvesting contractor in late fall of 1959. The station wagon and 30ft trailer made it to Belle Fourche, SD, and would go no further. They hunkered down for the brutal winter and worked locally. In the spring of 1960, Roger was hired by Sears Roebuck in Dickinson, ND and worked there for 18 years.

 60’s & 70’s. Because Elsie and Roger were the elder siblings of their families, the front porch was a revolving door to extended family, as well as friends and neighbors. Summer was the best and get-togethers were big. Several played guitar and there were many sing-alongs. They rented their basement to students of Dickinson State College, and met absolutely wonderful young men. They were surrogate parents to several of them.

 During the early 70’s, Elsie and Roger were Boy Scouts of America den parents for 8-10 cognitively/physically impaired boys and later became leaders for the entire pack. After that, it was Troop 126. They received many leadership awards. In 1978, the family began a small home construction company in Dickinson. This operated until 1989. Roger passed away on January 10, 1996. Elsie and eldest son, Ted, remained in Dickinson until December, 2020. After that they moved to Madison, WI to be near and cared for by the younger son, Kelly. Ted passed away in August of 2021. Elsie lived in a beautiful senior community until her death. She was loved and will be missed by many there.

 Elsie passed away peacefully on July 17, 2024. She was 85 years old. Family and faith were the pillars of Elsie’s life. She remained intensely loyal until the last day. Elsie was predeceased by her parents and in-laws, as well as her husband of 37 years, Roger Tormaschy, and her son Ted . Elsie is survived by her son Kelly and his wife Barbara Tormaschy and her grandsons Mathias & Nathan. Additionally, her sisters Shirley (Gary) Semerad of Dickinson, ND, and Jayne Rieth of Fargo, ND, and brother Harold (Delores) Lemmon, SD, Lee Messmer of Rapid City, SD, and Jerry (Cathy) Messmer of Loveland, CO, and many nieces and nephews. Memorial services, to be held in Dickinson late September for Elsie and her son Ted.

 “Grant unto them eternal rest Lord, and may your perpetual light shine upon them forever.”