Perry Bernard Grotberg was born in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, on December 30, 1921, to Bernard and Sophie Grotberg. He moved with his parents to North Dakota when he was 8 years old. He attended various rural schools in Barnes County and graduated from Valley City High School in 1939. He was married to Margaret Elizabeth Thiel on November 23, 1945 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Valley City. Margaret was born February 16, 1926 to William and Elizabeth Thiel at Valley City. She attended rural school district #57 and the College Normal School, graduating from the College High School in 1945.
Perry went to Nevada after his graduation from high school and in 1940 began working in the electric field for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at Boulder Dam. He entered military service during World War II in November of 1942. After the war, Perry and Margaret moved to Boulder City, Nevada, where he reclaimed his employment at Boulder Dam until April 1947.
In 1952 he received his Master's Electricians license and shortly after that went into business for himself forming Grotberg Electric. Perry and Margaret started farming in the fall of 1948 when Margaret's father, William Thiel, was killed in a tractor accident. They farmed the land belonging to the Thiels and purchased for themselves the East ½ xxx EY2-26 in Getchell and Southwest ¼ - 18 in Noltimier. They continued the farming along with the Electric Contracting for about twenty years, having their farm auction sale in September 1969.
Before her marriage, Margaret was employed at the ASC office and after her return from Nevada she went back to work there. They have three daughters, Amy Lee (Mrs. Bruce D. Anderson); Carol Elizabeth; and Donna Rae. The Grotberg family are active members of the Trinity Lutheran Church and have sung in the church choir for many years.
Mr. and Mrs. Grotberg have been active in various areas of human service. They were instrumental in organizing the local and State Association for Retarded Citizens. Margaret was active in the summer camping program for the retarded for many years. Both have served on the Mayor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. Perry has served on the Governor's Council on Human Resources; Developmental Disabilities Council; Advisory Committee to the Related Study Program of the Wahpeton School of Science. In 1965 Perry was President of the Valley City Chamber of Commerce. Margaret served as chairman and board member of the Barnes County Special Education Committee for 8 years - she also served on the Steering Committee for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction for Special Education, which among other duties, drew up the mandatory education bill for handicapped children.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 85