Joseph J. Cummings

Joseph J. Cummings, 91, Moorhead, MN, died on Wednesday, October 31, 2007, in Eventide Lutheran Home, Moorhead.Joseph was born on March 15, 1916, in Grand Forks, ND. He lived in Fargo, ND until age 11, spent his early teen years in Michigan and then graduated from high school at Perham, MN. As an eleven year old in Fargo, he held a card which gave him exclusive rights to sell the Fargo Forum at Broadway and the railroad tracks. He served in the U.S. Navy. Joseph married Bernadette Lein on May 30, 1941, at Perham, where they made their home. They moved to Moorhead, MN, in 1962, where he owned and operated F-M Jobbing. Joseph loved to sing and sang in three church choirs, including St. Henry's in Perham, MN, St. Joseph's in Moorhead, MN, and the Men's Schola at St. Mary's Cathedral in Fargo. He also liked to bowl, was a very good square dance caller, and was an amateur potter. He was a member of Gallery Four for several years. While he was in the service, he was in the Drum and Bugle Corps and sang in a choir under the direction of Orrin Tucker, both at Navy Pier in Chicago. Joseph had been a member of the American Legion Club and the Knights of Columbus, both in Perham, MN, and the Elks Lodge in Fargo.He is survived by his wife, Bernadette, Moorhead, MN; four sons, James Beth, Sioux Falls, SD, Michael Holly Fargo, ND, Ken Patty West Fargo, ND, Kevin Pam Detroit Lakes, MN; two daughters, Ann Cummings, Atlanta, GA, and Kathy Sudduth, Madison, WI; one sister, Elsie Spooner, Port Huron, MI; seven granddaughters and one great-grandson.