Donald James Longie

Donald J. "Don" Longie passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 14, 2020. He was 85 years old.

Don was born May 24, 1935 in Fort Totten, ND to Arthur and Margurite Longie and raised in Tokio. The youngest of nine, he enjoyed hunting and fishing and was active in sports all throughout his childhood.

After graduation Don enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served in Alaska as a communication machine repairman. He was honorably discharged in 1958.

From Alaska Don moved to Fargo, ND where he met Audrey Arechigo. They were married on March 10, 1962, and together raised Audrey’s four children. He worked as a freelance carpet layer until 1990. He then worked for the Fargo Public Schools at the Evaluation Training Center, a job he found very rewarding, until retiring in 2000.

His love of fishing never waned and you could often find him on the bank of the Red River. It’s been said that no one knew where to find the big ones better than Don.

He was a lifelong sports fan, his favorite teams being the Vikings, Twins, and, of course, the Bison. Most of all though, he loved watching his grandchildren play in their various sports and rarely missed a game.

An entertainer at heart, he would regale his grandchildren with stories about the headless horseman or make up silly songs with his harmonica. He was a prankster and at Halloween you could always expect a scare, as the neighborhood kids would tell you. You’d be hard-pressed to find him without the company of one of his beloved dogs.

Don is survived by two children, Tom (Lori) Arechigo and Deb (David) Asplin; his sister-in-law, Arlene Sandy; 11 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Audrey; two children, John Arechigo and Susie (Tim) Arneson; his parents; and his 8 siblings.

The family would like to extend a heart felt thank you to the staff at The Meadows on University for their years of care.