Alvin Henry Wirtzfeld , 82, Minot, died Sunday, September 16, 2007, in a Minot hospital.

Alvin was born March 2, 1925, in Cold Spring, MN, to Lawrence Sr. and Catherine (Faber) Wirtzfeld. Alvin was raised and educated at St. Boniface School in Cold Spring, MN. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 until he received his honorable discharge in 1945. Following his discharge he returned to Cold Spring before moving to the west coast where he was employed at saw mills and lumber camps. He moved to Fargo in 1948 where he was employed in a wood mill shop, auto body repair shop and at the U.S. Post Office.

Alvin married Joyce Keney on August 17, 1950, in Moorhead, MN and he was employed at various places in Cold Spring and Fargo, ND. Alvin and Joyce moved to Minot in 1959 where he was employed by the Civil Engineering Squadron as the paint shop foreman at the Minot Air Force Base until retiring in 1984.

Alvin was a member of Little Flower Catholic Church, Minot, American Legion and its Last Man's Club, Eagle's Aerie, VFW and a life member of the American Veterans (AmVets), the Disabled American Veterans, the International War Veterans Alliance, and was a volunteer at the Salvation Army and the Red Cross.

Alvin especially enjoyed arts and crafts, travel, archery, woodworking, dancing, fishing, and sailing.

Alvin's loving family includes: his wife of 57 years Joyce; Daughter: Vicki (Ramphis) Ruiz, Fort Meade, MD; Grandchildren: Michelle Hartfiel, San Antonio, TX, Jessica Ruiz, Fontana, CA; Great Granddaughter: Abigail Hartfiel; Sister: Mary Ann Schleppenbach, Cold Spring, MN; Brothers: Donald Wirtzfeld, Milwaukee, WI, Leon Wirtzfeld, Eveleth, MN, Larry Wirtzfeld Jr., Eden Valley, MN, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Alvin was preceded in death by his parents and sisters: Kathleen Metros and Valeria Rahm.

Mass of Christian Burial: Thursday, September 20, 2007, at 10:30 a.m., in Little Flower Catholic Church, Minot.
Vigil Prayer Service : Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home Chapel - Minot.
Interment: Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot
Visitation: Wednesday, from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., in the Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
Memorials are preferred to the Minot AmVets or Little Flower Catholic Church.