Rev. Ted Dockter

Please note the change of dates and times for the visitation and funeral  

The Service will be livestreamed, please go to the bottom of the page and click the link.

Theodore Fred Dockter, jr, known as Pastor Ted, passed away early in the morning of August 4th, 2022.  He had just celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by family in June and he died on the day that would have been his 71st wedding anniversary with Alice.   

Ted grew up primarily in Jamestown North Dakota, except for a short time when the family lived on the west coast.   In Jamestown, he went to a Child Evangelism Fellowship 5 day camp, where he heard the amazing news of Jesus' love for him and was drawn to loving and serving Jesus for the rest of his life.    He graduated from Jamestown High School, married his sweetheart, Alice at Jamestown St. Paul’s church, received his Bachelor of Arts from Westmar College in Iowa.  He then earned his Master's of Divinity from Western Evangelical Seminary in Portland Oregon while working to put himself through school.   He was ordained as a minister in 1958 and together, Ted and Alice ministered in many small towns in North and South Dakota, usually as the pastor of 2 or 3 churches at a time.  He also directed the junior camp for 4th to 6th grade students at Lehr Bible Camp and was the invited speaker at special Fall Services in other towns.  In 1996, Ted and Alice decided it was time to retire and moved to Fargo.  Ted’s retirement days were filled with teaching Sunday School, leading the Silver and Gold Group at Calvary and he filled in the Sunday pulpit for a year for a local church that was in need.    He enjoyed bowling and playing pool with friends and also being part of the Silver and Gold Coffee Group which met weekly to share and laugh together.  He led a devotional and prayed with them until Covid stopped them from meeting weekly.  

Ted had a crazy streak and a big heart.  In his younger days,  He loved to tease his kids and grandkids, tickling them and blowing horns on their bellies until they were crazy with laughter when they were small-- and then cheering them on at games and music competitions when they were older.   He watched baseball, basketball, dance, and volleyball games until his hips were sore from sitting on benches.  In the Ministry, He enjoyed getting to know the people of the new churches and preaching the word… and he and Alice would often have people over for Sunday lunch or supper as a way to get to know them.    He loved finding the men in the community  and having coffee with them or doing activities along-side them until they couldn’t ignore how much he cared for them.     He got involved in community groups like the Lions Club so that he could meet the men of the community and support whatever town he lived in.   During his later years, He enjoyed scaring the new nurses at Edgewood, when they would give him his diabetic shots,  He liked to yell, pretending he was hurt…and then break out in a belly laugh.   Getting to know all the nurses and teasing or chatting with them became part of his daily routine.   He also enjoyed being the youngest of the pool players at Edgewood and would talk about his friends who were over 100 and would beat Dad regularly at the pool table.  

Ted and Alice also had a heart for missions.   At one time they were planning on serving on Missions to Europe, but instead ended up staying in the States, where they would often host missionaries to visit their local churches.  Ted went on Mission trips to Ecuador and Lithuania, and served at a camp at Lake Metigoshe, where he helped with carpentry, a skill he had learned from his dad.  He also went to Switzerland to help with a Child Evangelism Camp, which he loved and shared his testimony of when he first heard the story of Jesus with the kids there.   Most important was that he wanted his children and grandchildren to live for Christ and prayed for them by name daily.

His legacy will live on through his surviving children and grandchildren.  He is survived by 4 sons and a daughter and their spouses:  Dwight and Judy Dockter of Portland ND;   Ron and Joni Dockter of Weippe, Idaho;   Doug and Cheryl Dockter of Dickinson ND; Tim and Debbie Dockter of Fargo, ND; and Trace and Deb Gunsch of Titusville, Florida.  He has 13 grandchildren and 3 step-grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and 3 step-great grandchildren living around the world.   His surviving brother and spouse are Vernon and Lindalin Dockter of Delta, Colorado.   He was preceded in death by his lovely wife, Alice who died in 2008; his parents, Ted and Martha, and his other brother, Melvin.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.   Psalm 116:15

Prayer Service: 7:30pm  Friday, Aug 26 in the funeral home

Funeral: 10 a.m. Saturday,  August 27, 2022, at Calvary United Methodist Church, Fargo, ND.

Burial: Sunset Memorial Garden, Fargo, ND

West Funeral Home & Life Tribute Center

Westfuneralhome.com