Rolland W. Redlin, U.S. Congress

RAPID CITY - Rolland W. "Rollie" Redlin, respected Divide County farmer, Minot banker and former North Dakota congressman and state senator, died Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, at his home in Rapid City. He was 91 (or 22 if you count leap year birthdays, which he always did.)

Rollie was born in Lambert, Mont., on Feb. 29, 1920, to Ernest and Hedwig "Hattie" (Grawunder) Redlin. He was the second oldest of five sons who grew up on the family farm. He attended the rural Three Buttes School before moving to Minneapolis. In his senior year, Rollie was elected class president at Roosevelt High School, Class of 1937, the first step in a lifetime of leadership and service. Rollie attended the University of Washington in Seattle and Minot State University in Minot, N.D.

Rollie began farming in 1941 in North Dakota's Divide County, where he found his dream girl at a dance in rural Crosby. After many too-wet-to-farm trips to Minot to court his sweetheart, a registered nurse at Trinity Hospital, Rollie married Christine O. Nesje on June 9, 1946, at Glenwood Lutheran Church in Crosby.

A dedicated Democrat, Rollie served as a state senator from North Dakota's District 40 (Burke and Divide counties) from 1959 to 1963. He was involved in bringing electricity and telephone service to rural farmsteads and towns. In 1965, Rollie was elected to the United States Congress and served a pivotal term that saw enactment of the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, the student loan program, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In 1967, he settled his family in Minot where he was vice president of agriculture and public relations for First Western Bank until retirement in 1990. He represented North Dakota District 40-50 (Minot and Minot Air Force Base) as state senator from 1973 to 2000.

Through the years, Rollie also worked to give back to his community through civic, professional and church organizations, including president of the Divide County Farmers Union and Crosby Coop Elevator, Frazier Township clerk, North Dakota Bankers Association, Trustee for the Minot Vocational Adjustment Workshop, member of the Sons of Norway and Golden "K" Kiwanis in Minot, as well as the Minot and Rapid City Chambers of Commerce, SCORE Chapters. Rollie was confirmed in his faith at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sidney, Mont., served as deacon for Concordia Lutheran Church in Crosby, was president of Christ Lutheran Church in Minot, and attended Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City.

Starting with a 25th wedding anniversary trip to Norway, Rollie and Chris became world-class travelers, seeing "with their own eyes" over 50 countries and all seven continents even Antarctica.

Rollie is survived by his wife, Christine; and their five children, Daniel Redlin (Darlene) of Colorado Springs, Colo., Ilene Christian (Dan) of St. Cloud, Minn., Jeannette Redlin (John Johnson) of Singapore, Steven Redlin (Lynn) of Portland, Ore., and Lisa Westlake (Bob) of Rapid City; a brother, Gerald Redlin (Elsie) of Sidney; nine grandchildren, Zachary Rutten (Jessica), DeAnn Sanders (Brian), Jill Schmucker (Tony), Mikal Rutten, Peter Westlake, Erika Redlin, Nicholas Westlake, Phoebe Johnson and Seth Westlake; seven (and counting) great-grandchildren, Noah Rutten, Izabel Rutten, Milo Sanders, Haley Rutten, Ryder Schmucker, Ruth Sanders and Kiley Rutten; and 13 nieces and nephews.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City, with the Rev. Dwight Stensgaard officiating and at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at Concordia Lutheran Church in Crosby with Rev. Rob Garton officiating.

Rollie will be laid to rest in Concordia Lutheran Cemetery in Crosby.

Rollie suggested memorials be given to Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City, Christ Lutheran Church in Minot, Concordia Lutheran Church in Crosby, or to the church or charity of your choice.

Arrangements are with Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home in Rapid City and Stakston-Martin Funeral Home in Crosby.

(Kilde: http://www.ancestry.com/search/obit/view.aspx?db=web-obituary&kw=ne...)

Rolland W. "Rollie" Redlin (February 29, 1920 – September 23, 2011) was a U.S. Representative from North Dakota, who served between 1965 and 1967. He also served in the North Dakota Senate from 1959 to 1963 and later returned to serve again from 1973 until his retirement in 2000, as Senate President Pro Tempore 1987–9, and Minority Leadership later during his final 27 years' service. A member of the Democratic-NPL, he lived near Minot, North Dakota until 2009, when he moved to Rapid City, SD, to be closer to family members.

In 1964, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and won, unseating incumbent Republican Don L. Short. He was the first Democratic Representative to represent Western North Dakota.[1] In 1966, he was defeated for reelection by former Bismarck Mayor Thomas Kleppe. Redlin ran again in 1968 but lost by a narrow margin. He has stated his vote for the 1965 Voting Rights Act was the accomplishment while serving in the US House of Representatives of which he is most proud, and that the breakdown of civil discourse in American politics during the past two decades is perhaps his greatest disappointment.

Redlin died on September 23, 2011, at his home in Rapid City. He was 91.

(Kilde:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolland_W._Redlin)