Michael Green
January 10, 1941 - July 16, 2024
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Michael Green, 83, of Scranton, ND, passed away on July 16, 2024 at the Southwest Healthcare Services in Bowman. Memorial Services for Mike will be on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at 4pm at the Ludlow Hall in Ludlow, SD. Terry Bagely will officiate with burial to be held at a later date. There will be a Family and Friends Service on Monday, July 22, 2024 at 7pm at the Scranton Community Center in Scranton ND.
Michael (Mike) W. Green, 83, of Scranton, ND passed away peacefully at Southwest Health Care, Bowman, ND on July 16, 2024. Mike was born in Hettinger, ND on January 10th, 1941 to W. A. (Billy) and Mary Lucille (Johnson) Green. He was raised on the Green ranch 13 miles East of Ludlow, SD. Mike was the 2nd of five children born to Billy and Lucille. Mike attended the country school of Norbeck through his 6th Grade. 7th through 9th grade he attended St Mary’s Catholic School in New England, ND. He attended Bowman High School for 10th grade and then moved on to Brookings, SD for his 11th and 12th grade where he graduated from High School. He also took college classes in Brookings while in 11th and 12th grade.
Mike started working at a young age. As early as 10 years old, he would help the local ranchers in the spring when they were shearing by tying the wool and packing the wool bags for a penny a fleece. After graduating from Brookings, SD he worked for a local farmer/rancher Walt Kaliciak until the fall of 1960 when he went to Baker, Oregan to work for Chandlers Hereford Ranch helping to show their cattle. He would come back in the spring to help with lambing and haying and go back to Oregon when that was done for the year. He was called back to the ranch in the Spring of 1963. Mike loved to make hay and fence and would be one of the first people to start cutting hay in the spring.
Mike and Jodi met at a barn dance in October of 1963 and at that time neither one was very impressed with the other one. In September of 1964 Mike tried again and asked Jodi to the movies. The next day they went to a bazaar at the Cox Church near Ludlow, SD and have been together ever since. They married in Scranton on May 26, 1965, and had their wedding dance in Gascoyne, ND during a blizzard. They lived on the 2-U ranch East of Ludlow in a sod house less than a mile from the house he grew up in. Mike and Jodi were blessed with 4 children. Todd was born April 19, 1967, Dayne was born September 17, 1968, Britt was born October 29, 1969, and Camille was born August 11, 1971. Camille will often say that they saved the best for last but the boys don’t seem to agree with that. In March of 1983, Mike, Jodi and the kids left the family ranch and moved to Vienna, SD. June of 1983 they moved again to Twin Brooks, SD where Mike worked for O’Farrels in their feedlot near Summit, SD. Mike and Jodi purchased the cafe in Twin Brooks, SD and ran it until May of 1985 when they moved back to Scranton, ND.
After moving back to Scranton, Mike drove truck for Gene May, hauling Vigortone, East West Motor Express, driving over the road, and Power Fuels and Missouri Basin in the oilfield. He taught many young men and some not so young ones to drive truck including all 3 of his sons. He took a break from driving truck and worked for Double EE out of Bowman for 2 years. He decided he wanted to be back in the truck and went to work for Kevin and Lynette Symanowski until he “retired.” He often said Kevin and Lynette was his favorite people to work for. Bill would say it was because he got to see his favorite son-in-law every day. After leaving Symanowski’s, Mike, Jodi, Britt and Tiffany started 7 Bar G and they did independent hauling for 2 years. He ended his career with Scranton Equity, delivering fertilizer and chemical in the spring until his health got the best of him and he decided to hang up his keys and throw away his log books. While driving for East West, Jodi would often go with Mike over the road. Mike went to all 48 of the continental states (Jodi only hit 47) and 9 Canadian Provinces. In his years of driving truck Mike retired with over 3.7 million miles driven in an over the road truck.
Mike was one of a kind. He was a kind, caring man who was one of the first ones to show up to help a neighbor in need. He had the Harding County “gift to gab” and never met a stranger. He loved to talk to anyone and everyone and give them a little guff and loved it even more if you gave it right back. You never saw him without a smile on his face and his finger wave. One thing about Mike was that he worked hard but he played harder and instilled that in his children. You could always find a group of people at the ranch on Sundays enjoying a good meal, playing many hands of poker, whist, cribbage or pinochle or at the Bowman Haley Dam or the tree patch by the house during the summer for a picnic. Later in life you would find Mike and Jodi out in their yard on the swing and more than likely somebody joining them there for a visit. Mike was always ready for some fellowship.
Mike and Jodi would open up their house and family to anyone and everyone. There was always room at their table for someone that needed a spot. They had several foreign exchange students during their lifetime including Siguard Zahn from Germany, Helle Lund Gytkjaer from Denmark, Tony Manupelli from Italy, and Alex Stadnyk from Ukraine. Mike and Jodi always joked that some people brought home stray pets but they brought home stray people.
Mike loved everyone, especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren. There were very few people that Mike did not consider his friend and he knew a lot of people.
Mike volunteered for the Ralph and Ludlow Volunteer Fire Departments. Every 2nd weekend in August, you could see him in Ludlow getting the meat ready for the Ludlow Lamb BBQ. Mike and Jodi were also members of the Scranton Lions’s club where you could always find him helping for any benefit auction or Wednesday night Burgers in the Park.
Mike is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jodi; their sons Todd (Tracey), Dayne (Julie), Britt (Tiffany) and their daughter, Camille (Bill) Norton; grandchildren Lindsey (Gunner) Moore, Trent Benischek, Justin (Kara) Benischek, Codie Joppa, Chris Joppa, Cory Joppa, Casey Jo (Katie) Joppa, Brittany (Jose) Green, Tracy Demery, Keegan Green, Kevin Crespo, Shalisha Norton, Casey (Colton) Rupp and Brinley (Joey) Boutain, great-grandchildren, Axel Benischek, Xael Benischek and Roslyn Benischek, Layker Benischek, Rafe Benischek, Paige Joppa, Lisa Morgan, Payslee Green, Teddy Green, Ezekiel Green, Riley Rupp and Rook Boutain and his brother, Tom (Paula) Green.
Mike joins his parents W.A (Billy) and Lucille Green, brothers Eli and Jim Green, sister Phyliss Green, in laws, Bruno Koczorowski, Mickey and Ted Maychrzak, brother-in-law David Maychrzak and other close relative too numerous to mention.
In lieu of flowers the family would love if you would make a donation to the Bowman Public Library, a rural fire department or any organization of your choice.
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