Paul Messelt, 86, of Fargo, ND passed away on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at HIA Heather's House, Fargo.

Paul was born on May 9, 1940 in Winger, Minnesota to Arvid Messelt and Hattie (Zahl) Messelt. Paul graduated from Oslo High School in May 1958. He then enlisted in the National Guard. After that, Paul began janitorial work at the University of North Dakota. He continued to do janitorial work until November of 2025.

On July 23,1963 he was united in marriage to Patricia Ann Korczak. They later divorced but from this union, they welcomed two children, Bob and Deb.

Paul wed JoAnne Nichols on September 20, 1973. They were married for 51 years before her death in July 2024. Paul enjoyed helping JoAnne with her job at Blue Cross and Blue Shield. They worked as a team to complete any cleaning projects she had to do. He was a devoted husband to her during her stay in nursing homes, due to Alzheimer’s disease. He rarely missed a day of visiting her and bringing her favorite Kit Kat candy bar.

Paul will be remembered for his quiet but sensitive nature. He rarely spoke ill of anyone. Paul enjoyed spending time with his family. He always looked forward to visiting friends and relatives. This often-included reminiscing about times they spent working on various farms. He also enjoyed going to the local coffee shops and often establishing relationships with the employees. Paul considered them his family as so did the employees with Paul. If Paul missed a couple days of coffee, they began calling around to make sure he was okay. This also included the staff at the VFW. This touched Paul tremendously as it did his family too. A special thanks to Atomic Coffee and the VFW!

Paul was an avid Bison fan and a football season ticket holder for years. He continued to watch them on T.V. and cheered them on from his couch. Go Bison!

Paul was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead, MN.

Paul is survived by his son, Bob (Kelly) Messelt of Eureka, KS and daughter, Deb (Curtis) Hawkinson of Marysville, KS as well as three brothers, John (LaVerne) Messelt, Sun City West, AZ, Mark Messelt (Patty) Messelt, Brian, Moorhead, MN and one sister, Lennie (Ken) Slocumb, State College, Pennsylvania. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Lauren, Conner, Vanessa and Justine as well as five great-grandchildren, Ava, Mila, Paisley, Leah and Logan, sister-in law, Roberta, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife JoAnne, and his brother, Ralph.

Visitation will be Tuesday, June 2nd from 1:00-2:00PM followed by a service at 2PM in Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead, MN. Burial will take place at the Winger Cemetery at a later date.

Memorials will be donated Atomic Coffee (a day of free coffee in memory of Paul) and to the VFW Post 762 in Fargo.