Gary Royset

Gary S. Royset

20 May 1942 – 24 September 2026

Gary was born and raised in Hettingher ND, the only son of five children born to Sigurd and Borghild Royset. He is well known for sneaking into the world with his twin sister Gayle, and he would gladly tell you that he graduated on his twin sister’s 18th birthday from Hettinger High School.

During the Vietnam war, he was stationed at Ford Hood, TX where he served in the Army. It was from one his army buddies that he heard about a job at C&H Sugar Refinery in Crockett, CA where he began his career in 1966. This move gave him not only a career to be proud of, but a family as well. In 1968, he married Dorothy Royset and they raised two daughters. By the time Gary retired in 2004, he had worked his way up to Shift Superintendent. Despite the long hours, he was proud of the product that C&H produced,and you couldn’t go into a restaurant with him, without him checking their sugar. And if it was beet sugar? Well, then you got the raised eyebrow.

Gary was an avid sports FANATIC. In his younger days, he played basketball, golf and tennis, ran track, and cycled. He even ran the Bay to Breakers in his 50s. But, if you know Gary, then you know that he was most passionate about watching sports. If there was a ball involved, he was watching it. He loved the Minnesota Vikings and the ND Bisons in particular, but pretty much any game would do.

More than football, though, Gary loved his daughters and grandchildren. For them, he moved from California to Washington state where he lived out his retirement. And, though he and Dorothy divorced in 1993, they remained close friends for the rest of his life.

Gary is preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Delores Mattis, Ilene Anderson, and Gayle Unruh. He is survived by his sister Karen Jennings (Jon), daughters Pamela Manix (Patrick) and Deborah Royset-Jones (Richard Jones), and his grandchildren, Kaylie Manix, Tyler Manix, Ariana Royset, and Dillon Royset and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at

11:00am

20 October 2026

North Dakota Veteran’s Cemetery,

Mandan, North Dakota