Roy Enquist

Roy John Enquist was born October 1, 1938, to Roy and Lena Enquist in Fosston, Minnesota. He grew up in western Minnesota, and graduated from Graceville High in 1956. He married Mary Kathryn Gilbert in 1960 and graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1963. Roy served in the Army Dental Corps at Fort Polk, Louisiana, before moving to Marshall in 1965 to start his own dental practice. Roy thought Marshall was a great place to raise a family, and he was a dedicated father. He spent countless hours on the sides of swimming pools cheering his four children on as they raced. He taught them to skate, ski, hunt and fish. He earned his pilot’s license and an instrument rating and took the family on many memorable trips around the country in a Piper Cherokee Six. Roy spent summer weekends at Gull Lake tirelessly pulling water skiers from sun up until sun down. He looked forward to summer visits from his nine grandchildren, always eager to pull a skier, go for a boat ride, or a take a trip to the candy shop. Roy cherished the time he spent with his friends fishing and hunting, as keen for the camaraderie of a shore lunch as he was for the sport, and always anticipating the meals of walleye and pheasant to come. His business interests went far beyond dentistry, across the border of South Dakota where he had farmland and raised beef cattle and into Iowa and Nebraska, where he and his buddies owned and operated Hardee’s restaurants. Roy was very active in Marshall. He served on the School Board, and as president of the Marshall Area Shriners Club. He also served as president of the Southern District Dental Society. He practiced in the building on North First Street for 35 years before retiring in 2000. After Mary passed away in 1999, Roy reconnected with a “girl” he knew in high school, Joanne Derdoski. They married in 2001 and spent ten happy years together, living on Gull Lake near Nisswa, Minnesota, in the summer and Duck Key, Florida, in the winter. Once again, Roy became involved in his new communities. He served as president of the Duck Key Homeowners Association and was a founding member of Club Duck Key. He was also a member of Sombrero Country Club in Marathon, Florida, where he played one of his best rounds of golf (he shot an 84) and won $150 just a few days before he died. He is survived by his wife Joanne, son John (and Kaca) Enquist of Old Greenwich, Connecticut, daughters Susan (and David) Mancheski of Deephaven, Minnesota, and Karen (and Steven) Compton of Anchorage, Alaska, daughter-in-law Lynn Enquist of Westport, Connecticut, and grandchildren Annabel, John, Claire, Eleanor, Hugo, Gus, Kathryn, Margaret and William, who all miss their “Bopa”. He is also survived by Joanne’s family: daughter Elizabeth (and Dan) Stoven, son Steve Derdoski and grandchildren Toni, Kelsey and Stephanie. Roy was preceded in death by his parents, brother Patrick Enquist, wife Mary, and son Stephen. Memorial donations may be made in Roy’s name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, www.jdrfnorthwest.org, and to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. Roy will always be remembered for his funny (if a little worn) stories, his love of good food and Jack Daniels, his belief that “road closed” signs didn’t apply to him, his resolve never to pay someone to fix anything except as a last resort, his unwavering optimism that life is good no matter what happens, and his cinnamon french toast.