Duane Tessier

Funeral Mass for Duane Dennis Tessier, age 79, of Dickinson will be held Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at 9:30 am at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Richardton with Father Thomas Wordkemper OSB celebrating. Entombment will follow at the Dickinson Mausoleum.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Monday, February 9, 2026 at Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson, with a Rosary and Vigil Service at 6:00 pm.

Duane passed away on February 3, at CHI St. Alexius Health, Dickinson.

Duane was born on October 22, 1946, in Dickinson, North Dakota, to Henry Tessier and Florence (Burwick) Tessier. He was raised on the family farm south of Belfield and attended country school, then graduated from Belfield High School in 1965. Duane attended Bismarck State College for two years. After college, Duane worked multiple jobs including running heavy equipment, road construction, and equipment transportation. In the early 1970's started Duane's lifelong career in the oil and gas industry from roustabout, workover rigs, drilling rigs, consulting, and all the way up to management. In 1971 Duane married Connie Schneider and to this union a son, Darren, was born. Duane continued working in the oil industry, employed with Amerada Hess, where he met the love of his life, Cindy Steckler, and they were married on October 1st, 1980. Duane fell in love with and adopted Cindy's son Brett, and later another son, Leigh, was born to complete the family of three boys. His oilfield career took the family to Bowman, ND, while Duane was employed with Total Petroleum. A short stint in 1992 sent the family to Houston, TX, and returned to Bowman in 1995 to oversee the construction of a major project in the area for Total. After the completion of this project, Duane started working a rotation in the oilfields of Argentina. After Total was sold, Duane started a partnership with his son Leigh that included a trucking company, raising cattle, among other business ventures. In 2006 the couple moved to the Steckler family farm north of Richardton. During this time Duane also formed a partnership with good friend, Chad Boehm, running a roustabout company in the Bakken oilfields. In 2011 Duane retired from the roustabout service but remained involved in his other business ventures, soldiering on persistently until his health began to fail.

Duane and Cindy enjoyed spending time in Arizona during the winters, taking a break from the North Dakota cold. In his earlier years, Duane cherished his fishing and hunting trips to Canada with family and friends. Since childhood, Duane has been an avid Green Bay Packers fan. He enjoyed golfing with his brothers, family members, and friends. Duane was a member of the Bowman Rotary Club, and a lifelong member of the Knights of Columbus.

Duane was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He cherished time with his family and especially loved attending his grandchildren's events, proudly serving as Jordan and Chase's biggest fan and expert coach from the sidelines.

Duane is survived by his beloved wife, Cindy Tessier, of Dickinson; his sons: Darren (Daniela) Tessier of Arvada, Colorado; Brett Tessier of Charleston, South Carolina; Leigh (Tanya) Tessier of Dickinson; his grandchildren: Henry, Jordan, Chase, and William; his mother-in-law, Eleanor Steckler of Bismarck; his sisters: Lavonne Goetsch-Below and Ardelle Tibor both of Dickinson: his brothers: Ron (Marcie) Tessier of Dickinson, Tom Tessier and Guy (Cathy) Tessier both of Belfield; brother-in-law Terry (Diane) Steckler of Bismarck and numerous nieces and nephews.

Duane was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Florence Tessier; his father-in-law, William Steckler; his foster sister Ethel Thoreson; his brothers-in-law George Goetsch, Charles Tibor, and Jerry Below.