Eldon E. Held, 74, of Cando, ND passed away Monday, March 12, 2018 at the Towner County Medical Center in Cando, ND due to complications from kidney cancer. Funeral Services will be 2:00 pm, Saturday, March 17, 2018 at Cando Lutheran Church with Pastor Bonnie Weaver officiating. Visitation will begin two hours prior to the service on Saturday at the Cando Lutheran Church. Music will be provided by Dick Lybeck and Lynette Lybeck. Casket bearers will be Andrew Held, Alec Held, Ryan Held, Logan Leas, Blaine Thorkildson, Adam Held and Robert Held. Burial will be at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Cando, ND in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to: I.O.O.F. Cemetery Fund 502 Main Street Cando, ND 58324, The Hawk Museum 4839 78th Steet NE, Wolford, ND 58385 or Towner County Medical Center 7448 U.S. 281, Cando, ND 58324.

Eldon Edward Held was born July 11th, 1943 in Cando, ND the son of Edward and Joyce (Perich) Held. He attended grade school in Iowa Country School in Teddy township, and graduated high school in Egeland, ND where he played football. He then went on to attend the North Dakota State School of Science. He married Margie Kay Macintosh on January 28, 1962. They made their home in Leeds, ND, where he worked for the John Deere dealership. They moved to Rock Lake, ND in 1966. Margie found the house of her dreams near Calvin, ND which they moved to a farmstead near Crocus, ND and restored. They moved their house into Cando in the summer of 1999 and Eldon continued to farm up until 2005.
Although he provided for his family with the farm, Eldon was a bit of a "Jack of All Trades" and spent many winters working at the Ford dealership in Cando, helping his lifelong friend Clayton Thurston on window projects in ND and MN, helping his son-in-law at Rock Lake Salvage & Machine and helping all of his kids renovate their houses. His lifelong passion for anything to do with steam engines provided him with many hours of tinkering, enjoyment and new friends. As a hobby machinist, he built many working model engines and started a miniature replica of his Nichols and Shepard steam traction engine. He has left a lasting legacy at the Hawk Museum in Wolford, ND, and helped to mentor a new generation in the simple joy of days gone by.
Over the past few years, Eldon and his friend RuthAnn Sandbakken spent the winters down in Arizona where they enjoyed spending the days sightseeing and visiting with friends.
Eldon served as a Towner County Commissioner, and on the boards of the Rock Lake Café and the Rock Lake Elevator, later North Central Grain.
He is survived by his sons, Michael (Orlayne) Held, Grand Forks, ND and Bradly (Nikki Johnson), Cando, ND; a daughter, Sheri (Craig) Leas, Rocklake, ND; grandchildren, Samantha (Aaron) Johnson, Andrew Held, Alec Held, Sammy Jo (Josh Miller) LeTexier, Ryan (Alyssa Reger) Held, Brittney (Grant) Lindahl, Miranda (Reid Pearson) Leas, Logan Leas; 5 great-grandchildren; a sister, Carolyn (Ray) Thorkildson, Waubun, MN; and a brother, Roger (Lisa) Held, Egeland, ND, and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Harold and his wife, Margie Kay Macintosh.