Kelly James Bursinger, 53, of Bisbee, ND, passed away on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 in Bisbee, ND. Funeral Services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, March 10, 2019 at the Bisbee Lutheran Church of Bisbee, ND with Pastor Bonnie Weaver officiating. Visitation will be on Saturday, March 9, 2019 from 1 to 3 p.m. with a 3:00 p.m. family service at the Bisbee Lutheran Church and for one hour prior to the service at the Bisbee Lutheran Church on Sunday. Interment will be at the Bisbee Lutheran Cemetery, Bisbee, ND in the spring. Music will be provided by Lori Kurtti and Tim Mickelson. Casket Bearers will be Steve Walsh, Nick Parslow, Dustin Dunlop, Adam Bryant, Derek Galow and Tony Good. Interment will be at the Bisbee Lutheran Cemetery, Bisbee, ND in the spring.

Kelly was born on December 9, 1965 to Charlie and Carol (Bishop) Bursinger in Rolette, ND. Kelly was baptized and confirmed at Bisbee Lutheran Church. Kelly attended Bisbee-Egeland High School and graduated in 1984. In the fall of 1984, he attended the University of North Dakota. In the spring of 1986, Kelly worked to help build North Central Grain in Bisbee, ND. He then returned to UND for the fall semester in 1987. Kelly graduated from UND in December of 1990 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.

After graduating, Kelly took a position at D & H Beauty Supplies in Grand Forks, ND as a Quality Control Manager. He also worked at Menards in the Management Training Program. In October of 1995, Kelly moved to Rugby, ND at which time, he took a job as a loan officer at Merchants Bank. He worked there until April of 2002. Kelly moved back home to Bisbee in 2002 and began working for Dacotah Bank in Rolla, ND as an Ag Banker. He attended the graduate school of Banking in Boulder, CO, which was a three-year program. After completing this schooling, Kelly became a commercial banker, until 2015. In January of 2016, Kelly became the President of Dacotah Bank in Rolla, a position he held until today.

Kelly was a member of the first Dacotah Bank Academy class. Kelly also farmed with his dad from 2002 to the time of his father's death. He ran his own farm from 2008 to present. In the spring of 2018, Kelly farmed with his brother Travis, "showing him the ropes" as Charlie had taught him. Kelly was a board member of the Rolla Job Development Committee. Kelly has also served as the Mayor of Bisbee since 2010. Kelly was the President of the Big Coulee Dam Operations Committee, which was instrumental in rebuilding the Bisbee Dam in 2016. He also served as Treasurer for the Northern Exposure Snowmobiling Club and Bisbee Brewers softball team.

"Kenny" enjoyed hunting and fishing (AKA "Gator Fest") with his kids and nephews. Kelly loved to go "shedding", a second chance to get the "big one that got away". Another favorite past time of Kelly's was driving around with any friend or family member, to catch a glimpse of wildlife or take a peek at his fields' progress, something that he called, "crop tours". Kelly enjoyed his family time, taking his children and Brenda on vacations only having an end destination in mind, but letting the road and laughter lead the way. Kelly was always the family leader in planning fun activities and gatherings, such as UND hockey games, camping, "hanging out" at the shop, supper in Wolford, concerts and the list could go on. Kelly had a love for antiques and enjoyed spending time just looking at vintage items and old muscle cars. He patiently kept his eye out, researching cars for years (with Travis as his loyal research assistant) and finally splurged on himself in the summer of 2018, when he purchased his 1974 Gran Torino. He was a collector of many things; wagon wheels, stamps, coins, hubcaps and beer steins, just to name a few.

Kelly is survived by his significant other, Brenda, children Kyler Bursinger of Minot, ND and Kelsey Bursinger of Bismarck, ND; his mother Carol Bursinger of Bisbee, ND; his brother Travis Bursinger (Lisa) and their two children, Landen and Talen, of Grand Forks, ND. He was preceded in death, by his father Charlie.