Duane Liffrig

Duane Richard Liffrig, 86, Bismarck, died Dec. 3, 2015, at his Bismarck home with family by his side. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Bismarck, with Monsignor Tom Richter as the celebrant and Monsignor Jim Shea concelebrating. Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Visitation will held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Bismarck Funeral Home with a vigil service at 7 p.m.

Duane was born July 12, 1929, in Ryder, one of six children to George and Betty (Nelson) Liffrig. Growing up during the Great Depression, he learned values that guided him his entire life.

After graduating from Ryder High School in 1947, his father insisted Duane go to college, advising that he could always farm but no one could ever take away his education. So began Duane's lifelong commitment to education and its power to help people realize their full potential.

In order to pay for college, Duane joined ROTC at University of North Dakota, worked several jobs, took extra credits and graduated one semester early with a bachelor's degree in business. While there, he met a beautiful Norwegian redhead from Parshall, named Doris Hermundstad. She became his faithful, fruitful and fun-loving partner for 64 years. They were married June 12, 1951, in Parshall, which Duane described as the best decision of his life.

Duane was activated by the North Dakota National Guard for the Korean War in December 1950. After their wedding, Doris joined him at Camp Rucker, Ala., and 10 months later their first child was born. He was honorably discharged from the military in November 1953 as a sergeant first class.

Duane and Doris moved back to North Dakota and settled in Williston, where they had seven more children and became deeply invested in the Williston business community, St. Joseph's Church, Knights of Columbus, the Jaycees, Young Republicans and the Elks. He initially opened a tax service but soon connected with a local businessman, Dick Powers, who helped him get started in real estate. To support his growing family, Duane vigorously bought and sold properties while also launching a variety of business ventures including a toy store, hat store, fireworks stand and dance studio. He opened Liffrig Realty and Insurance in 1960, a business that continues today through his oldest son, John.

In 1971, Duane accepted an appointment by President Nixon as state HUD-FHA director. He and Doris moved from their beloved Williston to Fargo and became active in St. Mary's Cathedral and Shanley High School. He later returned to real estate in Fargo and then expanded into investing with Merrill Lynch. In 1982, he accepted an appointment as State Highway Commissioner under Gov. Allen Olson. They left their network of Fargo friends and re-established in Bismarck, where they remained for 34 years.

Duane was a past president of the North Dakota Association of Realtors; Exulted Ruler of the Elks in 1967; served on the University of Mary Board of Trustees, the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust board and was a committed supporter of the North Dakota Republican Party, UND and Catholic education.

Duane was most alive working with cattle and land under big North Dakota skies, and agriculture was his most rewarding lifelong interest. He hated waste of all kinds - at home, in business or in government - and believed in using what you have or doing without. He recycled envelopes, wrote on both sides of sticky notes, and wore clothes and shoes until they wore out, even if they never did. He had an insatiable appetite for hard work and was open to new ideas even in his twilight years.

He managed his complicated business affairs into his 80s, when the effects of Alzheimer's disease rendered him unable to do so. He battled Alzheimer's openly and courageously, embracing all traditional or non-traditional therapies that held promise for him or, in the name of research, those afflicted with the disease in the future.

Duane's sometimes imposing presence was balanced by his clever wit, compassion and sense of humor. He loved to laugh, and was the eager giver and receiver of grief from family and friends. He and Dorie nurtured a large circle of lifelong friends who were as dear to them as family.

Duane was a beloved patriarch of a family that exploded beyond his eight children to include eight in-laws, 31 grandchildren, and an ever-growing list of great-grandchildren that numbered 28 at his death. He was a devoted husband and exemplary father, grandfather and friend who expected the best from himself and others. He contributed in countless ways to the communities and state in which he lived, and his legacy lives on through the family he raised and considered his greatest accomplishment.

He is survived by his wife, Doris; his brother, Bill (Lynette Zahnow), Seattle; his sister, Judy (Jerry) Kinsella, Farrgrove, Mich.; his brother-in-law, Donald Rensch, Salt Lake City; his brother-in-law, Orin Hermundstad, Stoughton, Wis.; his children, Sheila (David) Hoffman, Buford, Jacqueline (Eric) Uthus, Alexandria, Minn., John (Zoanni Tvedt) Liffrig, Williston, Deb (Kim) Kaul, Fargo, Mike (Julie Green) Liffrig, Mandan, Mary Jean (Jeff) Dehne, Fargo, David (Nancy Latimer) Liffrig, Starkville, Miss., and Julie (Mike) Fedorchak, Bismarck; and his grandchildren, Chris (Melissa Cherne) Hoffman, children Rachel, Joseph, Karen, Madeline, James and Jenna; Annie (Stuart) Hennen, children Andrew, Joshua, Eleanor, Aubrey; John Hoffman, Katie Hoffman; Jennifer (Mike) Kill, children Taylor, Haley, Jacob; Sara (Nick) Johnson, children Brooke and Molly; Amy Uthus; Terra (Aaron) Erickson, children Zachary and Addyson; Tyler (Jacque Laetsch) Liffrig, daughter Lexa; Matthew (Kaley Costin) Kaul, children Lillian, Samuel and Abraham; Emily (Dave) Gee, son Conner; Andrew (Bailee Herman) Kaul; Ryan (Mary Kate McNamara) Liffrig, son Andrew; Elaina (Brian) Murphy, children Lydia, Thomas and Norah; Joe (Rachel Keller) Liffrig; Jessica, Kristen, Peter, Rebecca, William and Charles Liffrig; Nathan, Michelle, Alyssa and Julia Dehne; Nicholas (Jerica Yarbrough) Liffrig, children Sophie and Hudson; Thomas (Victoria Nauman) Liffrig; Daniel Liffrig; Elizabeth, Nathan and Samuel Fedorchak.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Betty Liffrig; two sisters, Delores Walsh, Portland, and Phyllis Rensch, Salt Lake; and one brother, Derrill, Oslo, Minn.

The Liffrig family offers heartfelt appreciation for the tender care Duane received from Jayne Clairmont, his team of devoted caregivers, Dr. Jared Marquardt and St. Alexius Hospice. The family appreciates memorials to the Legacy Children's Foundation and the University of Mary.

Go to www.bismarckfuneralhome.com to sign the online guest book or to send a message of condolence to the family.