Arvin and Jeanette Rohrer recently established an endowed scholarship creating a lasting legacy that will reflect their strong belief that success is possible through hard work and determination. Education is an important part of reaching this success.
“Together we feel blessed and privileged to establish this endowment,” says Arvin Rohrer. “With it, we hope to help young adults continue their educations. It is our desire to give priority to agriculture education, the industry that was so good to us, and the Associate of Nursing program, a career that is so necessary and affects almost every life. We also wish to prioritize the trades.”
Arvin and Jeanette were married in 1956 at St. Olaf Lutheran in Devils Lake, ND. As a young couple, they took over the family farm from Arvin’s father. Times were hard as Arvin and Jeanette built their farm and family. Jeanette worked for Percy Stewart whose office was in the Grayson Hotel in Devils Lake, taking their four boys into town with her each day to her mother, Dora. Her paycheck was enough to keep groceries on the table. After much time and hard work, they were able to pay off the mortgage on the farm, which allowed Jeanette to stay at home to concentrate on raising the boys and taking care of the many farm chores. Arvin and Jeanette grew a variety of small grains and raised cattle, with Holstein heifers becoming their specialty. They retired from farming in 1988.
Neighbors, Richard and Joanne Legacie, met Arvin and Jeanette in 1998 when they started attending church in Churches Ferry. Joanne states, “This was the beginning of our new Lutheran Faith and the beginning of a great friendship with Arvin & Jeanette Rohrer.” Richard was disabled and Arvin took a great liking to him and was always willing to help. As the years went by, Arvin & Jeanette became more and more impressed with their neighbor boys, Dustin & Brady. On April 20 of 2015, Richard passed away. “When Arvin told me of his plans to start this scholarship, I felt honored,” says Joannie. “Arvin and Jeanette’s choice of NDSCS was all because of how Dustin, my son, has succeeded in his career choice and the responsible man he has become, and Brady is following in his brothers footsteps by attending NDSCS in the fall of 2017. I feel grateful to have such awesome people supporting my children.”
In addition to being successful farmers, Arvin and Jeanette remain highly involved within their community. They were active members of organizations including the Zion Lutheran Church in Churches Ferry, ND, Churches Ferry Men’s Club, St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Ladies Aid, The Masons, Eastern Star, and Senior Citizens Club. They are life members of the Elks Club, and Jeanette has been the Irvine Township’s secretary since 1973.
Jeanette sums it up very nicely, “May God bless the lives of recipients of this endowment as much as He has blessed us.”
The Arvin & Jeanette Rohrer Endowed Scholarship will help two students each year with their tuition. The NDSCS Foundation would like to send a big Wildcat Thank You to our new Devils Lake friends!