David Kane

David Sheridan Kane, age 67, of Fargo, ND, passed away Saturday, March 15, 2008, in Innovis Health Systems, Fargo, ND. David was born in Deadwood, South Dakota, on July 12, 1940, to Arthur Sheridan and Grace (Goodrich) Kane. Due to his father’s work, the family moved frequently, living in several different states and averaging two schools per year until he was ten. In 1953, the family moved to Bismarck where David graduated from Bismarck High School in 1958. He graduated from Bismarck Junior College in 1960, and the University of North Dakota in 1962, with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree. David was active with the Sigma Nu Fraternity (Epsilon Kappa) at UND throughout his life. Before finishing graduate school, he discovered his lifelong love for sales. He often said, “If you love what you do, it isn’t work.” David married Sylvia Bergstrom on August 31, 1963, and their daughter, Jennifer Marie, was born on September 9, 1964. In 1968, David moved to Fargo. He eventually bought a house by the river and one of several Irish wolfhounds. In 1979, the Red River flooded. David, along with many volunteers, built a dike with 26,000 sandbags and saved his house. On October 22, 1983, David married Oline Sveen. Their daughters, Brenna Marie and Mackenzie Sheridan, were born on October 8, 1985, and November 18, 1987, respectively. They continued to live alongside the river until they lost their house to the Mighty Red in 1997. They moved into Fargo where the girls were glad they could have pizza delivered and cable TV. David was an avid reader, enjoying everything from light fiction to technical business books. He read quickly, and it wasn’t unusual for him to complete three to four paperbacks in the course of one air flight. He especially liked books on sales and marketing, and often made gifts of them to those he felt could benefit from the knowledge. He also enjoyed golfing and fishing, which were two activities he had shared with his grandfather and friends. David spent his professional career serving people through the insurance industry. He, along with others, started an insurance agency in the mid 1960’s as general agents for Fidelity Life, and later ITT Life, selling life insurance to graduating college seniors. He went on to found D. S. Kane & Associates in 1969, with a focus on implementing and administering qualified retirement plans and to provide retirement, estate, and risk planning services to North Dakota medical, dental, legal, and accounting practices. David was a founding partner in ERISA, Inc., a firm that provided administration services to qualified retirement plan sponsors. He was recognized as a leader in the insurance industry as an author, speaker, and personal producer. He was a life member of the Million Dollar Round Table. He founded Midwest Life Insurance Company, a North Dakota domiciled insurance carrier as well as multiple insurance marketing organizations. David was always highly regarded among his peers for his unique ability to recognize problems or issues facing potential clients or his fellow insurance producers, and to develop opportunities to address them long before they were obvious to others. Due to his health, David sold his insurance business and became semi-retired. In 1998, David became one of the founding members of LTA Marketing Group, LLC, a national insurance marketing organization. He also became the owner of Financial Benefits Company, an insurance marketing firm. In 2003, he opened a House Doctors franchise in Fargo. In 2006, he started See You Soon, LLC, a streaming video email business. He was an active member of a local chapter of BNI. David was a student of Bible Study Fellowship for the past seven years and attended Triumph Lutheran Brethren Church in Moorhead. In recent years, David became grandfather to two wonderful little boys, Luke Henry and Maxwell Miles. He very much enjoyed his family and all