John Arba Walkin

John Arba Walkin, Fargo, died December 2, 2015, at Sanford Hospital in Fargo.

John was born January 13, 1944 in Fargo, attended Central High and was a lifelong resident in the area. He worked at Fargo Iron-Metal until retiring.

John was an avid reader with an extensive library, much of which was in the field of science, which led to a great interest in astronomy. As a teenager he constructed, from scratch, his first telescope, and made many more throughout his life. John enjoyed chess, pool and especially his weekly golf outing with family and friends. He had a great love for animals and was always caring for a stray.

John will be most remembered, however, for his overwhelming interest in the Bible and his belief in Jehovah God. John was a member of the Moorhead congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses and spent his entire life in the door-to-door preaching work, offering Bible discussions to all that were interested in learning of how God’s original purpose for a paradise earth is still to be accomplished. His hope is to be resurrected back to a peaceful earth. Two of his favorite Bible references were chapter 40 of Isaiah and Romans 1:20, which he believed demonstrated that true science was the foundation for proof of God’s existence. He enjoyed a thought from the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, “All that I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”

John left a positive influence with all that knew him. We express our thanks for your kind words, cards, and assistance over the past few months.

John is survived by two brothers, Henry (Gail), Tom (Bonnie), Fargo; four sisters, Helen Goe, Marge Mooney, Hood River, OR; Mary (Dale), Parkdale, OR, Alice (Carl) Dehner, Lincoln, CA, and sister-in-law, Marlene Walkin, Moorhead, MN. John is also survived by his closest friend, Troy (Rosie) Marsh, Cottonwood, Arizona.

John was preceded in death by his mother, Nettie and his older brother, Robert (Bob) Walkin.