Ronald Dean Soderquist, Sr. was born in Galesburg, Illinois on November 27, 1943. He passed away peacefully at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND on March 13, 2026, at the age of 82.

He graduated from High School in Galesburg, Illinois in 1961 and joined the Air Force a year later. He completed his contract with the Air Force with an honorable discharge in Grand Forks, ND in 1966. This is where he met and married his wife Cyndie

He joined the Grand Forks Police Department in 1970, and retired January 1999 as a Lieutenant. While he was a police officer, he did everything from street patrol, to bomb tech, to investigations and SWAT.

Not too long after he joined Grand Forks PD, he enlisted in the Army National Guard as an Engineer and retired as a First Sergeant in November 2003.

After his retirements, he worked a variety of security and transportation jobs for the University of North Dakota, the city of Grand Forks and Altru Health.

During his long life in Grand Forks, he had a love for tinkering with cars and boats in his garage, days out on the lake fishing, and spending time with his grandchildren. He was a voracious reader and an avid storyteller, and loved music and movies. He was a man with a strong sense of duty and work ethic, and he was always willing to offer up creative nuggets of wisdom.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Everett Soderquist and Helen Soderquist (Huddleson), as well as his daughter Diana Carlson (Soderquist.)

He is survived by his wife Cyndie Lee Soderquist (Trimborn), whom he married November 5th, 1966, his brother Russell, his sons Ronald, Jr., Zackary, and daughter Sally, his grandchildren Amanda, Michelle, Tyler, Bryan, Micheal, Kaitlyn, Molly, and Andrew, and his great grandchildren: Odin, Maddie, Daylen, River, and Ryder.

His memorial service will be held at Norman Funeral Home in Grand Forks on Saturday March 21st, 2026, at 2 pm.

He was loved dearly by those he has departed from and is loved by those he now joins. He is dearly missed and will be for as long as he is remembered.

We love you, Dad.

Conference tournament season is in full swing, and the college hockey landscape is beginning to take shape ahead of the upcoming NCAA tournament. The final weeks of the regular season mixed up the deck, and last weekend’s conference results shuffled it again. Some teams took care of business, others stumbled, and a few saw their seeding hopes took a serious hit.

At the top, Michigan and North Dakota look poised to claim No. 1 seeds regardless of what happens this weekend. Denver and Minnesota Duluth are set for a heavyweight clash in the NCHC championship with seeding implications on the line. 

Meanwhile, Quinnipiac is reeling after a shocking ECAC quarterfinal loss at the hands of Clarkson, and Providence’s overtime loss to Merrimack raised some eyebrows. Here is a look at where things stand heading into championship weekend.

1. North Dakota

North Dakota fell last weekend in the NCHC semifinals, losing 5-1 to Minnesota Duluth. The Fighting Hawks have lost five straight semifinals and are 2-9-0 since the league was formed in 2013. UND will likely be a top seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.

2. Michigan 

Michigan advanced to the Big Ten championship after skating to a 5-2 victory over Penn State. The Wolverines will face off against Ohio State for the Big Ten crown on Saturday. Regardless of the outcome, the Wolverines should be a lock for a No. 1 seed in the tournament. 

3. Michigan State

Michigan State was stunned in a 3-2 overtime loss to Ohio State, missing out on a Big Ten championship appearance. The Spartans have been among the nation’s best all year; the only question that remains is whether or not they will drop to a No. 2 seed. Probably not.

4. Denver 

Denver continues its recent tear with a 2-1 overtime victory over Western Michigan to advance to the NCHC championship. The Pioneers will play Minnesota Duluth for the Frozen Faceoff crown, and with a win, they could earn an additional No. 1 seed for the NCHC. 

5. Western Michigan 

The defending NCHC champions lost 2-1 in overtime to Denver in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals. The Broncos currently sit at No. 4 in the NPI poll and could use some outside help to keep its hopes of being a top seed alive. 

6. Providence

Providence was upset in overtime, losing 3-2 to Merrimack in the Hockey East quarterfinals. The Friars certainly wanted to make a deep run in the conference tournament, but this loss doesn’t derail the whole season. 

7. Minnesota Duluth

Minnesota Duluth jumped on North Dakota, scoring two goals in the first period en route to a 5-1 victory and a berth in the NCHC championship. The Bulldogs will be looking for another signature victory in the Frozen Faceoff championship against Denver.

8. Cornell

Cornell was stunned in game one of the ECAC quarterfinals before it ripped off two wins to advance past Harvard. The Big Red will skate against Princeton on Friday, with a ticket to the ECAC championship on the line. The more wins and momentum that they build before the NCAA tournament, the better. 

9. Quinnipiac

Quinnipiac was shocked by Clarkson, losing game one 3-0 and game two 4-3. The Bobcats are in no danger of missing the NCAA tournament, but the last few weeks have not been their best. They have dropped out of the top 10 in the NPI poll behind both Cornell and Dartmouth. 

10. Dartmouth

Dartmouth advanced to the ECAC quarterfinals, beating Colgate 4-1 in back-to-back nights. The Big Green have a favorable matchup against Clarkson in the semifinals. If it can advance to the conference championship, and win, there’s no telling how deep this team could go. 

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JAMESTOWN – The founder of the Runnin O’ the Green said Sunday, March 15, that the Run did well in raising funds for cancer patients and Elks Camp Grassick.

Larry Knoblich said 700 people registered for the 47th annual pub crawl on Saturday, March 14, that stops at bars in Jamestown. Last year, 800 registered, The Jamestown Sun reported.

Winter weather was likely a factor in the number who registered, Knoblich said, along with other communities in North Dakota holding pub crawls as well.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Stutsman County from 10 a.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday. The weather service forecast snow accumulations from 2 to 6 inches and winds gusting as high as 40 mph.

“I think with the weather the way that it was, that kind of, I think, had an effect on it,” said Lt. Andrew Staska of the Jamestown Police Department, who was working a regular shift Saturday and not specific to the Run. “I didn’t see quite as many people out, definitely not as many people out walking around. I think it kept people inside a lot.”

Staska said he didn’t see too many issues with the Run. There are more law enforcement officers working on the day of the Run, he said.

JPD preliminary numbers for calls for service on Saturday were:

• 35 traffic stops
• 3 arrests, including one DUI, a warrant and a summons issued for trespassing on railroad property, Staska said
• 3 vehicle accidents
• 3 suspicious persons
• 1 violation of disorderly conduct restraining order
• 2 moving violations with impaired drivers
• 1 narcotics investigation
• 1 disorderly conduct
• 5 motorist assists
• 1 parking violation

“There were quite a few of them that were directly related to the Run,” Staska said of the calls for service, but noted that the traffic stops and accidents could have occurred anywhere. He said there was quite a bit of vehicle traffic, which is typical.

Knoblich said that although he thought the event to raise funds went well, he would have liked to have raised more.

“I would like to get more of the community involved because it is for a very good thing,” he said.

He said he’s hoping to give $25,000 again to Elks Camp Grassick, as well as $10,000 for local cancer patients. He is still expecting some funds to come in, he said.

Knoblich said the people he visited with along the route were happy with the event.

“In light of everything, I guess I was surprised that we did as well as we did,” he said.

John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun

He said there had to be at least 500 or more people who did not pay the $10 registration fee for the Run. While it’s fine that they joined in to have a good time and it helps the pubs along the route do well with extra customers, the point of the event that began 47 years ago is to have a good time and raise money for charity, he said. He said he was a little disappointed people would not donate $10 for the registration fee that is given away to others and stays in the community. No money raised goes to administrative fees, he said.

“I really would like to see this become a citywide event, that is, people realizing where the money goes,” he said. “And basically it stays.”

Knoblich said just in the last 15 years, $500 checks have been given to 253 cancer patients.

“And that’s a good thing, that’s something we should all feel good about … helping somebody out, by merely donating $10, we’re going to give some cancer patient $500,” he said. “That’s a good feeling … and I would think that everyone would feel good about helping someone out.”

John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun

Camp Grassick provides a fun camp for individuals with physical and mental challenges, he said.

Knoblich said he hopes each year is better than the current one for the Run.

“Just looking forward to next year,” he said. “Hope to see you next year.”

Kathy Steiner has been the editor of The Jamestown Sun since 1995. She graduated from Valley City State College with a bachelor’s degree in English and studied mass communications at North Dakota State University, Fargo. She reports on business, government and community topics in the Jamestown area. Reach her at 701-952-8449 or ksteiner@jamestownsun.com.