George Haugen

George Haugen, age 63, Rosholt, passed away Saturday, September 6, 2025, at Sanford Hospital in Fargo.

Visitation will be Thursday, September 11,  from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. followed by the Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m. at Bethania Lutheran Church in Rosholt with Rev. Nancy Quatier officiating.  Music will be provided by pianist Todd Quatier.

The service will be livestreamed on the Bethania-Trondhjem Lutheran Church Facebook page.

Honorary urn bearers will be Lloyd Nohl, Landon Haug, Colton Douville, Ronnie Tatge, Dave Geurts, Leroy Diehl, and Jonathon Halfaday.  Active urn bearer will be Sonya Ladwig.

Burial will be Friday at 2:00 p.m. in the Summit Cemetery, Morris, MN.

George Masao Haugen was born October 7, 1961, to Kochan Hayano in Tokyo, Japan.  During his time in the military, Leland Haugen met Tomoko in Japan. The couple returned to the United States and adopted George.  George attended school in Morris, graduating from Morris Area High School.

While in high school, George met Connie Tatge.  They had been engaged since 1981.  George and Connie enjoyed cooking and working in restaurants.  George's first cooking jobs were at the Trailway and the A & W in Morris.  They owned Don's Café for 17 years and worked at the Diamond Supper Club and the Sunwood Inn.

Later in life, George was employed as a cook at the Dakota Magic Casino, rural Hankinson, ND.  In July 2022, George owned and operated the Short Stop restaurant in Rosholt with Sonya Ladwig until retiring due to health reasons.  George believed in hard work.  He worked every single day, never missing work even if he was sick.  After George retired and began battling more health issues, he started taking vacations and grew to love traveling.

George and Connie were a true love story.  Inseparable in life, they cherished their time spent together in the kitchen, where their shared passion for cooking became a treasured part of their journey.  Connie passed away October 3, 2020.  When still living in Morris, George visited Connie every morning and evening at the cemetery.  Even after moving to Rosholt, he never let the distance keep him from making time to visit her.

Survivors include Connie's siblings, Nancy (Jim) Koos of Avon, MN, Shirley Wittig of Florida, Rick Ehrp (fiancé of Lois Tatge) of Chokio, MN, and Ronnie Tatge of Coon Rapids, MN.

George was preceded in death by his loving fiancée, Connie Tatge; parents, Leland and Tomoko Haugen; mother, Kochan Hayano; Connie's parents, Fred and Delia Tatge; Connie's sisters, Doris Tatge and Lois Tatge; and brother-in-law, Gayle Wittig.

George didn't have a lot of family; his friends were his family.  They all shared a special connection.  Right person, right place, right time.  Those of you who got the chance to know him had a special place in his heart, and he loved each and every one of you.