Arlan Durling

Arlan Jerome Durling, 80, went to be with his family in Heaven on Sunday, April 24, 2016, at CHI St. Alexius, in Bismarck, ND. A celebration of his life will be held on Thursday, April 28th at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck at 11 a.m. CST, with Rev. Steve Sathre officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service; cremation has already taken place. He was born October 16, 1935, to Albin G. and Myrtle (Carlsrud) Durling at St. John’s Hospital in Fargo, ND. He grew up in Dilworth, MN and graduated from Dilworth High School and Moorhead State University. His teaching career began in Oriska, ND. From there he moved to Wanblee, SD, and finally to Fort Yates, ND, where he taught for 32 years prior to his retirement in 1994. He loved his job; he loved his students. He was a teacher, not just in the classroom but in everything he did and he shared his love of knowledge with everyone he met. In December of 1966 he married Sharon DeGroot, the love of his life. They had three children Kristen, Kevin, and Karin. They made their home in Fort Yates, ND, until 1990 when they moved to Bismarck, ND. Arlan was a loving husband, father, and grandfather with a strong sense of family and faith. He was baptized a Lutheran on his father’s birthday, January 10, 1936, and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, MN. He was extremely proud of his Norwegian heritage and made sure to display the Norwegian flag on May 17th every year. He was a die-hard Minnesota Vikings and Twins fan; win or lose, they were his teams. He was the daycare provider for six of his grandchildren; the only requirement he had was they had to be potty-trained. He shuttled them to and from school, extra-curricular activities and volunteered at their grade school. Arlan was a kind, humble man whose constant smile, and sense of humor, will be greatly missed. He leaves behind his best friend and loving wife of 49 years, Sharon, his daughter Kristen (Bob) Parisien (ND), his son Kevin (Jennifer) Durling (KY), his daughter Karin Brooks (ND), two sisters, Muriel Frisco (MN) and Dorraine Fawcett (MN), one brother-in-law, Ralph (Skip) DeGroot, ten grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, a special aunt, Amanda Kramer, and two brothers-in-law, Les Fawcett and Sam (Swede) Frisco, Jr.