DONALD W. LODER Donald W. Loder was born in Juanita, ND to Albert and Rose (Burda) Loder on March 27, 1924. He went to grade school there until 1935 when his family moved to Cooperstown. His father was a partner in the firm of Arneson & Loder. He graduated from Cooperstown High School in 1941. He attended NDSU for two years before going into the Army in 1943. He was discharged in 1946. He continued his education and graduated in 1948. He was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity. He was called back into the Army in 1950 and served over two years in Korea. Don started as a machinery salesman with Arneson & Loder until he purchased the business in 1970. He married Phyllis Haugen in Grand Forks on November 25, 1970. Donald was active in American Legion affairs. In 2003 he was named North Dakota’s Legionnaire of the year. He was a member of the ND American Legion Band for 58 years. He played at memorials on Veterans Day and participated in National and State American Legion Band Conventions throughout his life. If he knew someone’s birthday they received a phone call with him playing “Happy Birthday” on his trumpet. He played Taps at the funerals of more than 500 veterans around the area. He had his own little animal refuge on his farm where he fed deer, pheasants and his beloved dogs and cats. Other interests included “Oh a Cheer for the Green and the Yellow” for the NDSU Bison. He was a great supporter. He loved gardening and planted in any little patch of dirt he found. Donald loved his country and community. In the early 1960’s he was elected to the North Dakota Legislature on the Republican ticket and served two terms. He was also known for planting evergreen trees. He planted hundreds of trees on the Cooperstown golf course, as well as on farmsteads in the area. He fed wildlife in the winter and had a sizeable number of deer that came to his feeding stations. He was active in many community activities during his 70 years in Cooperstown. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, Masonic Lodge, Hospital Foundation, Cooperstown Country Club and Community Club, as well as the American Legion as mentioned earlier. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis, a brother LeRoy (Ann) of Oro Valley, AZ and a sister Barbara Osborn (Steve) of Fishers, IN. He is also survived by five nephews and a niece. Funeral Services will be Monday, August 6, 2012 at 11:00 am in the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cooperstown, ND. Visitation will be Sunday, August 5, 2012 from 5:00 pm till 7:00 pm in the Church. A Prayer Service will be held at 7:00 pm Sunday in the Church. The Graveside service will be at Monday, August 6, 2012 at 4:00 pm in Memorial Park Cemetery, in Grand Forks, ND. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS PLEASE SEND MEMORIALS TO THE NORTH DAKOTA AMERICAN LEGION BAND OR COOPERSTOWN MEDICAL CENTER. To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of DONALD W. LODER, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.