Harold Gates Piper, 81, 2905 Elk Drive, Minot, died Saturday, June 9, 2007 in a Minot Hospital.

Harold was born in Minot, November 19, 1925, the only child of Harold and Henrietta (Eicher) Piper. Shortly after birth, he was tagged with the nickname of "Bumpy." He was raised in Minot's Eastwood Park and graduated from Minot High School in 1943. He served his country in the Army Air Corps from 1943 -1945; this began a life long fascination with flight. He attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where he met a local girl, his future wife, Ione "Tootie" Gotzian. He graduated in 1950 and they were married on June 3 of that year.

Harold worked for International Harvester in Minot. In 1953, they moved to Garrison, where he became a partner in the McGray Implement Company, an IH Dealer. In 1960, he accepted a position as loan officer at Midwest Federal Savings and Loan; he retired in 1987, as a vice-president.

Harold was an avid golfer who played twice a week until his death. He had a beautiful swing, which he passed on to his children. He can claim two holes-in-one in this sport. He refused to grow old. He swam, water skied and ice skated until his 70's, at which point he began model aircraft flying. He built many model planes in his basement during his retirement years and attended many Minot air shows. In Palm Springs, he took flight in a hot air balloon. He was a lifelong bird hunter and enjoyed friendships he made in all those activities.

Harold had been a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church, Minot Rotary Club, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow, Minot Elks Lodge, where he was Past Exalted Ruler and served as past President of the ND Elks Association. He was a member of the Inquisitors Club, Minot Aircraft Modelers, served on the board for the local Girl Scouts and was past President of the Minot Country Club in 1969.

Travel was a large part of his life. As much as he loved golf, his summer vacations were spent taking his family on a road trip which he had planned; of course this included golf. He and Tootie traveled with the Elks and Rotary organizations and sailed on many cruise ships. They spent winters in Palm Desert, California, where you guessed it, he played a lot of golf. He was a rock-solid Dad and a devoted husband and caregiver. Tootie died eight months ago on September 8, 2006.

His loving family includes : Daughter: Julie (Mark) Adams, Lansford, ND; Son: Steve (Tracy) Piper, 2102 N. Milben Circle, Palm Springs, CA 92262; Grandchildren: Charles (Carrie) Adams, Tressa (Chip) Sjule, Grace and Stephanie Piper.

Harold was preceded in death by his parents, and wife, Tootie.

Funeral service: Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. in First Presbyterian Church, Minot;
Interment : Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot
Visitation: Wednesday from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
Memorials : Preferred to the Minot Rotary Scholarship Foundation or an organization of the donor's choice.