Gary Presser, 83, of Mercer, ND died Friday, November 14, 2025, in the Turtle Lake Hospital. Funeral Service will be at Trinity Lutheran Church on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:30AM. Visitation will be at the church on Thursday, November 20, 2025, from 6:00-7:00PM with a prayer service at 7:00PM, visitation will resume one hour prior to the service on Friday. Burial will be in the Turtle Lake Cemetery.

Gary died during his favorite season of all…hunting season. He loved hunting ducks, geese, and pheasants, as well as big game, traveling to western ND, MT, WY, and Canada, where he was successful at hunting many deer, antelope, and elk (including his once in a lifetime elk in ND). He even taught his children and grandchildren to hunt. Turns out pockets full of fun-size candy bars eaten in the rocks, the tall grass, or the cattails were very good incentive to join him on the hunt. The enjoyment came from being together, sharing his love of the outdoors and the gifts from nature.

On September 1, 1963, Gary's life changed in all the best ways when he married Judy Zingg and he would tell you that was the best decision of his life. Together, they raised three children, Troy (Annette), Trent, and Trudy (Tom) and they enjoyed doing many things together as a family, both work and play. The best part of family life came to him with the arrival of his grandchildren, Megan, Tyler, Turner, Tatum, and Heather. He always said "Grandparents are important. We have many things to teach and share." He took those words seriously, and even continued teaching and sharing when great grandchildren, Lillian, Chevelle, Harper, and Josie arrived.

Gary and Judy enjoyed traveling and were able to visit all 50 states and even 5 other countries. Gary loved playing pinochle and taught the kids and grandkids how to play. Many games were played whenever we were together. He also played in pinochle tournaments with some of the grandkids. In addition, Gary was quite a 'cook', too. When he was responsible for feeding the kids or grandkids, he served hot dogs, both frozen or cooked, and bologna sandwiches. His lack of cooking skills is somewhat surprising for having lived alone on the family farm as a high school student while his parents worked road construction or operated a local café.

Gary also loved farming and ranching. He was a good and careful steward of the land, knowing that the land would always give back to him. He would often be whistling loudly on the tractor as he worked, enjoying his time outside. Cattle were another important part of his farm life. He raised gentle cattle that came to the call of "Come, Boss", fed them oats, which he said, "was like candy for the cows", and even let them eat corn cobs out of his sweatshirt pockets.

As a young man, Gary and a friend were riding a run-away horse after they accidently dropped the reins. They decided their only option was to jump off that fast moving horse.  The second they jumped, the horse stopped. From that time on, Gary knew the only horse he liked was mechanical 'horse' power! He enjoyed three-wheelers, four-wheelers, snowmobiles, and the side-by-side, each of which he found way more reliable than any horse. The entire family enjoyed these things, too, and took many group rides together. One of Gary's last rides was a group side-by-side trail ride to Medicine Hill, the namesake and high point of the township where he lived his entire life.

Gary grew up on a farm north of Mercer, raised by his parents, Ernest and Rose, and had two brothers, William and Marlin, and one sister, Verna, all deceased. He attended school for a short time in Mercer, and then at the country school near his home. For high school, he lived in Turtle Lake to attend school there. "City life" was not for him and he was glad when he could be at home and have the bus take him to school each day.

Gary and Judy experienced the worst part of 'grandparenthood' with the devastating loss of their granddaughter, Heather, when she was just shy of 11 years old. To honor her, Gary created "Heather's Trail" using a hayrack and tractor to drive the three-mile prairie trail. He used the hayrack that Heather and the other grandkids helped to fix up and paint, along with an old 140 International tractor to give rides to neighbors, family, friends, and even people from Brush Lake that had heard about the trail.

Throughout his life, Gary was involved in church and community. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Turtle Lake and served on many boards and councils throughout the local communities. He had a servant heart and helped many neighbors and friends through the years. His connections to the community were strong and he only ever wanted the best for people.

Gary always said his favorite time of life was when he lived at the old house. His favorite, in spite of the fact that it was an old, rented house with crooked floors, a dirt basement, and no running water! He loved that place and time because he was doing what he loved, with the people that he loved, and it was enough.