Curtis was born on November 2, 1939, to Donald and Annette (Lohse) Markert in Moorhead, MN. Curt was the first of eight children. He was baptized in Barnesville, MN, and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead. He grew up in Moorhead where he attended and graduated from Moorhead High School with the class of 1957.

Curt joined the Navy after high school and served three years in active duty. Much of that time was spent on the USS Bennington. He then served in the Naval Reserve for the next 40 years. At one point in his military career, he was one of the youngest Chief Petty Officers in the country. Curt retired in 2011 as an E9 Chief Petty Officer.

After his active military service, Curt worked for Bell Telephone Company in Fargo, ND, for two years. He then attended NDSU for electrical & electronic engineering. Following his graduation in 1966, his first job out of college was at Wild Rice Electric in Mahnomen, MN, where he worked as a Project Engineer until he retired on July 31, 2011.

Curt and Gayle (Johnson) were married in 1964 in Lake Park, MN. They raised four active boys in Mahnomen and didn't miss a single football or basketball game. Curt still has every one of their games he recorded on Beta or VHS tape. They spent their summers at Meadow Lake campground and took a major family vacation most every year, hitting nearly every state in the country.

In his spare time, Curt enjoyed working on all things electronic and operated Curt's TV Repair Shop out of their home. It was certain he could fix the TV, although the turnaround time was not guaranteed. But if something was broken, Curt could fix it and had all of the spare parts on hand! Nothing was thrown away if there was a chance it could come in handy in the next 20 years.

Next to Gayle, Curt's greatest love was for his grandchildren. He loved to attend their school activities and never said no to a babysitting opportunity, even though most of the heavy lifting went to Gayle. He enjoyed spending time at Lake Labelle with his family and tinkering in his shed, again always fixing something that one of the boys had broken.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Gayle; sons: Daniel (Lisa) of Moorhead, John (Stacy) of Shakopee, MN, Joel (Kelly) of Barnesville, MN, and David (Sarah) of Bemidji, MN; grandchildren: Megan, Amanda, Katie, Keaton, Max, Ashton, and Jaxson; one brother and four sisters: Robert (Susan) Markert of Fargo, Patricia Rene of Hastings, MN, Rebecca (Jeff) Frischman of Lake Worth, FL, Jennifer (Pete) Werner of Hastings, MN and Dawn (Jerry) Envik of Moorhead; sister-in-law, Nitaya Markert of Clarksville, TN; 13 nieces and nephews; and 27 great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Donald and Annette Markert; two brothers, Dennis and Thomas; brother-in-law, Wendell Rene; and one niece, Stacy Werner.

Curtis Gene Markert died from COVID-19 on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND, at the age of 81. He will be greatly missed.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, October 9, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at First Lutheran Church, Mahnomen, MN, with Military Honors to follow.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral at the church.

Following all Covid-19 safety protocols, and CDC guidelines, social distancing will be practiced. Masks are strongly encouraged.