ND AG Wayne Stenehjem remembered as a family man at his funeral

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem is being remembered not just for the work he did, but the family man and friend he was to many.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) – North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem is being remembered not just for the work he did, but the family man and friend he was to many.

“Wayne Stenehjem will go down in the history books as the longest serving attorney general in North Dakota’s history and certainly one of the most impactful. And yet none of that is what has prompted any of us to be sitting here today,” said State Sen. Nicole Poolman

“I think it would be easy to think that for him that his passion was politics, but I really think that the political road was simply an avenue that allowed him to help make things better for people in the state of North Dakota,” Wayne Stenehjem’s Sister Peggy Stenehjem Titus said.

“The legacy is just the care that he had for as mentioned in the eulogies. The downtrodden people that were… Seemed to be down and out in society. Whether that be the domestic violence victim, the addict. He always was their champion for wanting to make sure justice was served,” Grand Forks Police Chief Mark Nelson said.

Family, friends, and colleagues come together to honor all their memories of North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem reflecting on how he emotionally touched them with love and wisdom.

“Throwing open the door with a smile on his face he would say ‘Come in, come in. How were the roads?’ And asking how we are before he bent down to give each of us a hug of welcome. We can feel the warmth in his welcome and his voice shows how excited he was to have us there to spend this time with him,” Stenehjem Titus said.

“From Wayne I learned the importance of integrity, being honest and having strong moral principles,” Stenehjem Titus said.

“Following Wayne in a speaking order never came easy. It was always a let down because he was the ultimate crowd pleaser, incredibly funny, always relatable and intensely interesting,” Former North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jim Poolman said.

And his colleagues respected him.

“Well, it’s a loss I think that’s going to be felt across the state. Attorney General Stenehjem is a very strong supporter of law enforcement. He always tried to do the right things; he was a man with integrity,” Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner said.

Stenehjem was 68-years-old and leaves behind his wife Beth and son Andrew.