Henry Amund Trangsrud passed away on September 6, 2025, in Surprise, Arizona.
Henry (Hank) was born on August 22, 1932, in Kindred, North Dakota, to Henry and Eva (Johnson) Trangsrud. Hank received his elementary education at the Thoen School, a small country school about 2 miles from their farm. He graduated from Kindred High School in 1950 and received his BS in Civil Engineering from North Dakota Agricultural College in Fargo, ND, in 1957. While at NDAC, he was elected to the Blue Key Honor Society and joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity, where he served as president his senior year. He was also a member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC.) After graduating, Hank joined the National Guard and received pilot training. In 1957, he accepted a job as a civil engineer with the Oliver Mining Division of US Steel Corporation in Hibbing, MN. Kirkham Michael & Associates of Fargo employed Hank from June 1958 until May 1971, when he accepted a partnership position with Houston Engineering, Inc. in Fargo, ND, working as a consulting engineer for several city municipal projects and developing rural water systems throughout eastern North Dakota until his retirement in 1996. Professional memberships included the American Water Works Association, the North Dakota Water Pollution Control Association, and the ND Rural Water Systems Association.
Community service activities included serving as a charter member and President of the Lake Agassiz Kiwanis Club; serving on the Board of Directors of Bethany Homes; and holding the positions of President of Hope Lutheran Church, Fargo; President of Norman Lutheran Church, Kindred; and Vice President of the Fargo Conference of the American Lutheran Church.
During his senior year in college, Henry met his wife, Joyce Eriksmoen, at the Lutheran Student Center at NDAC, and they married on June 8, 1958, at the Leeds Lutheran Church. Their first home was in Williston, ND, where he inspected housing developments at the radar bases in Miles City and Opheim, MT, as well as Fortuna, ND. Later work assignments relocated the family to several cities, including Mayville and Fargo, ND. In 1973, they moved to the Trangsrud family farm near Kindred, where they raised their four children — Steven, Rikka, Kristin, and John — and became involved in local church and community activities, as well as family farming.
In addition to family life on the farm, Hank enjoyed traveling with his family. They often camped and explored state and national parks. As the children grew older, they spent many winter holidays skiing in Colorado. After retirement, Hank and Joyce spent their winters in Arizona until they moved full-time to Sun City, AZ, in 2022.
After retirement, Hank fulfilled a lifelong dream of pursuing woodworking by building a home workshop where he created beautiful bowls on a lathe and other works of art for family members and community fundraisers.
Hank is survived by his wife, Joyce; children, Rikka (Peter Savosnick) Trangsrud, Kristin (Jeffrey Petrella) Trangsrud, and John (Paula Clinedinst) Trangsrud; brother, Jim (Dena) Trangsrud; and six grandchildren. He is also survived by relatives, including Miriam Welty Trangsrud, Duane and Bonnie Eriksmoen, Curtis and Jan Eriksmoen, and Douglas and Carole Eriksmoen, and several nieces and nephews.
Hank was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Eva Trangsrud; his son, Steven Trangsrud; his siblings, Arthur Trangsrud, Rosella (Don) Robinson, Rikka (Paul) Tews, and Charles Trangsrud; and his sister-in-law, Audrey Bergquist.