Elmer M. Flaig

Elmer Martin Flaig was born August 3, 1916, to Daniel and Marthe Flaig on a farm near Alfred, North Dakota, where he grew up until moving to Jamestown to complete his education. He was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps, working on projects in Minnesota, Montana and California. He served in the Army during World War II as head of the motor pool in Santa Barbara, California, and as a Staff Sergeant in the 48th Coast Artillery in the Territory of Hawaii and then on Peliliu in the Palau Islands in the South Pacific. After discharge, Elmer moved to the Fargo-Moorhead area, where he began his career in the grocery business. He married Frances Raff on August 22, 1946, and they had three children, Cynthia, Bruce and Linda. He enjoyed building things, including the house in north Moorhead; hunting and fishing; traveling to the western national parks, especially the North Dakota Badlands and Yellowstone; his collection of Western music albums; and doing the daily crossword puzzle. Elmer was also proud to be the grandfather of Michael Franklin Flaig Crawford and the father-in-law of Mary Fouassier-Flaig and Brian Goodspeed.