Roger Flaten, 69, Minot, formerly of Washington, passed away on Thursday, January 6, 2022 at a Minot hospital.

Roger was born on June 18, 1952 in Williston, ND, to Lawrence and Betty (Wayte) Flaten. He was raised and educated in Williston, graduating from Williston High School in 1971. Roger enlisted in the United States Air Force after high school and served in fire rescue while on active duty.

After he was honorable discharged from the service, Roger returned to Williston to work in the oil fields. He was a rough and tumble guy in those days, working in the oil fields by day and hunting, fishing, and any outdoor activity that caught his fancy in his free time. Roger enjoyed playing golf and was very pleased by how far he could hit the ball, even if he couldn’t always find it!

As young entrepreneurs, Roger and his brother Richard started a sandblasting business and enjoyed some decent success with this venture. They also went west looking for gold and had a great time in Alaska, even if it didn’t pan out.

After the 1970’s oil boom, Roger went to school in Anoka, MN to learn golf course turf management. Soon after graduation, he moved to Sedona, AZ and worked on their golf courses. He later moved to Washington State where in 1998 he was employed at the Sahalee Country Club when they hosted the PGA Championship. Roger was an important part of the grounds crew that created the pristine conditions for a successful tournament. He was very knowledgeable about golf course management and was very generous in sharing this knowledge with his counterparts.

His happiest days were after he reunited with his high school sweetheart, Sandy Temanson, in Washington and they were married in 2003. Roger and Sandy lived in Washington, where he was employed by the city of Kirkland for grounds maintenance. Roger retired in 2019 and they moved back to North Dakota, settling in Minot.

An endearing quality that Roger totally embraced was keeping in touch with family and friends. He always made time to call and check in to see how they were doing and give updates on his family. In Roger’s honor, let’s all pick up that phone a little more often just to check in. As much as he loved his family, and Roger certainly did, sometimes friends became family and that’s exactly what happened with Al and Cheryl Ekblad.

Roger is survived by his wife, Sandra; sisters, Laura (Don) English, Karen (John) Verdura, and Loretta (Tom) Torgerson; sister- in- law, Peggy Bergman; numerous nieces and nephews; and his special cockapoo, Bella.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Loren Paul and Richard and his father and mother-in-law, Robert and Selma Temanson.

Memorial Contribution