Arnold Clayton Strom

Arnold Clayton Strom
Arnold Clayton Strom, 94, died peacefully after a battle with cancer, on November 27, 2016, surrounded by his wife Marcia and his four daughters. Arnold was born on July 26, 1922, to Gustave and Hulda Anderson Strom, in Park River, North Dakota. His family moved to Moorhead, Minnesota, in 1932, where he attended public schools and graduated from Moorhead High School in 1940.
After high school, Arnold served in the U.S. Navy’s Construction Battalion Seabees during WWII; he was stationed in the South Pacific where he helped build roads and runways. After his discharge in 1946, he graduated from NDSU on the GI Bill and continued to work in highway construction with his father, his Uncle Nels, and his brother Glenn. In 1955, Arnold and Glenn bought the business and continued to build roads in Minnesota and North Dakota as Strom Construction Company until 1987.
In 1950, Arnold met the love of his life, Marcia Sortland from Litchville, ND, who was teaching school in Fargo. They married on July 6, 1951. They celebrated 65 years of marriage and raised four daughters: Leanne Steve Homa; Julie Mike Smith; Kris Pladson Bruce Due; Linda Joel Pladson. They are also the excellent grandparents of 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
In retirement, Arnold and Marcia enjoyed traveling with family and friends, often in their RV. Arnold also enjoyed a spirited game of bridge and his weekly pinochle game with the guys. He was an avid reader and relished lively political debate with anyone who accepted the challenge.
Since 1932, Arnold has been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Moorhead. In recent years, he looked forward to the camaraderie of the Trinity Men’s Bible Study that meets at the Fryin’ Pan on Monday mornings.
Arnold was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Glenn and Gordon Strom.
The funeral will be held at Trinity on Saturday, December 3rd at 10:30 a.m. with a luncheon to follow in the Christian Life Center. There will be a memorial gathering at Wright Funeral Home on Friday, December 2nd from 4:00-6:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Trinity Lutheran Church Lost and Found Ministry or Hospice of the Red River Valley.