Melvin H. Herdt, 88, rural Washburn, ND died May 17, 2018 at CHI Community Memorial Hospital, Turtle Lake, ND. Memorial services will be held 10:30 AM Wednesday May, 23, 2018 at St. John's Lutheran Church, Underwood, ND with Pastor Russ Fitch officiating. Inurnment will be held in the Underwood Cemetery with military rites provided by the Turtle Lake American Legion. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service on Wednesday at the church.

Melvin was born December 26, 1929 on a farm North of Coleharbor, ND the son of Henry and Margatetha (Kempf) Herdt. He met Audine "Toots" in Riverdale and they married July 20, 1951 in Washburn. Following their marriage, they moved to Oceanside, CA where he served in the Marine Corp for 2 years. Because of a heart murmur, he began to paint military vehicles at Camp Pendleton. He moved back to ND where he helped build the Garrison Dam. He ran one of the batch plants that poured the spillway and also built missile silos. He was a farmer and worked for Don Knudtson in Underwood as a mechanic. He later became a business partner and remained until it was bought out. He started Herdt Tractor Repair out of his farm until his health would not allow him to do what he really loved to do, fix International Tractors. Melvin attended many different service schools. He was very talented and could fix just about anything he set his mind to.

He is survived by two sons, Mark (Marie) Herdt, Moscow, ID and Mike (Diane) Herdt, Washburn, ND; two grandsons, Nichalus Herdt and his fiancee', Brittany Laber, Bismarck, ND and Tyler Herdt, Bismarck, ND; one granddaughter, Marie Herdt, MD and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, "Toots", a daughter, Margo Herdt; two brothers: Reuben and Elmer; two sisters: Edna Kreller and Emma Rath.