Duane Tessmer

On January 1, 2023, Duane Tessmer age 83, passed away peacefully at hospice with his family by his side.  Duane was born July 6, 1939, in Powers Lake, ND to Oliver and Evelyn Tessmer. He’ll be sadly missed and will always hold a place in our hearts.  We would like you to come and honor his life at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel on Monday, January 9 at 2:00 p.m. with visitation an hour prior followed by military honors and burial at Highland Cemetery.   Duane grew up in North Dakota until 2 ^nd grade, and his county was the only one with running water. He always had someone to visit with regularly. Then he lived in California for a short time before moving to Great Falls with his mom Evelyn.  He attended Mckinley Elementary, Paris Gibson Junior High, and then graduated from Great Falls High in 1957.

In 1954 Evelyn married Rudolph (Rudy) Kavran and then gained his half-sister Cynthia (Cindy) and half-brother Dennis in the years that followed.

Then he took a year off for fun and experience, doing odds and ends jobs from shoe salesman to the smelter.  After the year off he enlisted in the Army as a Photo Lab Specialist.  During his service in the Army, he traveled to 20 different countries which included Africa and Japan.  He really enjoyed his increased opportunities for photography. This led to him starting his own business (Tessmer Photography) after discharging from the Army in 1964.  Duane had the privilege of photographing over 30 weddings during his career.  In addition, he started working at the USPS as a letter carrier.

In 1968, he married Patricia Hunter and had two daughters Samone and Cheryl.  Later divorced in 2003.  Duane continued to work for the Post Office as a letter carrier and then ended his career as a special delivery driver.  He continued to work for the next several years until he retired after 40 years.

He then met his long-time companion Kay Heal.  They enjoyed many adventures and laughs along the way.  Duane enjoyed fishing in his younger years, bowling, bike riding, annual road trips to various locations, taking lots of pictures everywhere, eating out (his favorite was Family Affair), cooking, soft spot for all animals, enjoying many TV shows, in particular Lawrence Welk and Gunsmoke, loved calendars and having one in every room.  He loved his grandkids and would brag about them to anyone who would listen. But anyone who knew him knows that he loves CARS, and he purchased 39 vehicles over the years.  He kept his cars immaculately clean and routinely stated “This is going to be my last one.” which we knew was never going to be true.

Survivors include his children, Samone Tessmer of Seattle, WA, Cheryl (Clint) Menghini of Belt, MT; and grandchildren, Jackson and Olivia Menghini and Nicholas Tessmer; Siblings, Cindy Andrews of Prosser, WA, and Dennis (Ria) Kavran St. Johns, Fl; along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.  Preceding Duane in death were his parents.