Roger Shelstad

Roger Ernest Shelstad, longtime resident of Ottertail County, passed away on Thursday, August 6, 2026 at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Battle Lake, MN. He was 92.

Roger was born on February 12, 1934 on the family farm in Doran, MN, as the fourth of Edward and Myrtle Shelstad’s seven children.

After graduating from Breckenridge High School in 1952, where he excelled in athletics, Roger continued his education at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, where he played football and baseball. He answered his country’s call to service and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving from 1954 to 1956 at the Presidio in San Francisco and in Orleans, France. Even in the Army he continued to play baseball in the U.S. Army Europe baseball league. After the Army, Roger attended North Dakota State University (NDSU) to pursue a degree in agricultural management and continue his passion for sports, competing in football, basketball, and baseball. Following graduation in 1960, he worked as a food inspector for the USDA in Florida and California. In 1962, he was recruited back to NDSU to help coach the football and baseball squads. During this time, Roger earned his teaching degree. In 1964, Roger began his career in education in Granite Falls, MN, as a shop teacher. While teaching there, he met and fell in love with Eunice Brunkow and the two were married on June 26, 1965, in Johnson, MN. Around the same time, he earned a master’s degree in administration and became a high school principal and athletic director, serving in several high schools in Echo, Atwater, and Starbuck before ultimately settling in Renville, MN. After retiring from the education profession in 1989, Roger and Eunice remained in Renville until they moved to their home on Pickerel Lake in Ottertail County, where they lived for nearly 30 years. They also spent most winters snowbirding in Mesa, Arizona, and took many Rustad bus tours throughout the United States.

While living in Echo, Roger and Eunice had two sons, David Peter and Chad Edward. Roger and Eunice both came from large and very close families, and his relationships with his nephews and nieces were a top priority. Extended family gatherings were a frequent occurrence.

As a lifelong learner, Roger was both passionate about his hobbies and highly competitive. He had many creative outlets for these sides of his personality: hunting and fishing, including many expeditions to Alaska and Canada; winemaking, especially raspberry and apple but also any other fruit he could grow; breadmaking, which included some blue ribbon county fair entries; and woodworking, which furnished his house and produced many gifts. Playing baseball was a big part of the first half of his life, and he continued to play town team amateur baseball into his late 40s before switching to softball. He took up pickleball in the 1990s when the sport was still relatively new, and was still playing at age 91. Playing cards was also a competitive outlet, and family games of bridge, 500 and many others were frequent. Playing competitive duplicate bridge was also something he thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps his most serious hobby and passion, especially in retirement, was gardening. He maintained a very large vegetable garden and fruit grove, producing huge annual crops of sweet corn, raspberries, tomatoes, and apples, to name only a few. He definitely kept Eunice busy during harvest!

As an educator, Roger was passionate about passing down the appreciation and joy of many of these activities to his sons, grandchildren, nieces and nephews—and he was remarkably successful.

Roger’s canine companions were another big part of his life. Not just any dog—a black Lab! He had five black Labs throughout his adult life, and each one was named Liz.

Roger is survived by his wife of 61 years, Eunice, of Battle Lake; sons David (J.P.) of Minnetonka, MN, and Chad (Liz) of Sartell, MN; seven grandchildren: Brooke, John, Alaina, Michael, Brady, Rachel, and Daniel Shelstad; two sisters: Marlys Jackson and Carolyn Ellingson; and sister-in-law Roxanne Shelstad.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers John and Kenny, sisters Eleanor (Burgett) and Irene (Henjum), brothers-in-law Reynold Ellingson, Arnie Henjum, Bill Burgett, and Dale Jackson, and sister-in-law Norma Shelstad.

Roger leaves behind a legacy of education, craftsmanship, competition, and family that will continue through the many lives he touched.