Charles "Chuck" F Fleming

Charles “Chuck” Frank Fleming, 70, Bismarck, passed away on July 13, 2016, at his home from complications of esophageal cancer. Services will be held at 11:00 am Tuesday, July 19, at Good Shephard Lutheran Church, 106 Osage Ave, with Rev. Craig Schweitzer officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Monday, July 18, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Visitation will also be held from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Wednesday, July 20, at the American Legion in Cavalier ND. Burial will follow at 4:30 pm at the Hamilton Cemetery. Chuck was born in Grafton to Charlie F. & Nina (Geiger) Fleming on October 11, 1945. He attended school in Hamilton and graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural economics. He was an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG) and was commissioned as an officer in the US Army, serving two years of active duty, including 17 months with the 360th Signal Battalion in Bremerhaven, Germany. He returned to the Hamilton community in 1970 where he was a partner with his brother in a diversified farming operation. That same year he was elected to the ND House of Representatives from Pembina County. He was re-elected four times and was elected Chairman of the House Dem-NPL Caucus for the 1977 and 1979 legislative sessions. He married Arliss Faye Halldorson at the Vikur Lutheran Church in Mountain on June 24, 1972. They are the parents of Rochelle Faye and Scott William. Chuck served as campaign manager for George Sinner’s successful bid for Governor in 1984. The family then moved to Bismarck where he served as Chief of Staff to the Governor. He was chairman of the Committee of 34 which developed Growing North Dakota, a comprehensive economic development plan for the state that the legislature approved in 1991. He founded the Carlisle Cereal Company in 1993 which produced a cereal called Hometown Stars. The unique features of the cereal was that it honored sports teams and other local groups with a picture on the box. Nearly 3,000 different designs were produced over the years. In 1997 it was named one of the ten most innovative products in America by Marketing Intelligence Service of New York. Chuck returned to the public sector in 2001 as Marketing Coordinator and later Business Development Director for the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. Those duties included administering the Pride of Dakota program, promoting international trade, livestock and renewable energy development, and working with agriculture marketing groups. He launched a Local Foods Initiative which included the creation of the ND Farmers Market and Growers Association, a statewide hunger free garden project, and grants to schools for garden projects. He retired from the Agriculture Department in 2011. Chuck was the first recipient of the Wally Beyer Rural Development Award by the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives in recognition of his leadership to grow the economy of North Dakota. He received the NDSU John Lee Coulter Award for his contributions to agriculture and agri-business. Northern Plains Sustainable Ag Society honored him with their Friend of the Farmer award. Chuck was a lifetime member of the Hamilton Presbyterian Church and the Pembina County Fair Association, where he served on the Board of Directors and as President. He was a 46 year member of the Cavalier American Legion Post #11. He is survived by his wife Arliss, daughter Rochelle, Kirkland WA; son Scott (Alissa) and granddaughter Addilyn Faye, Hillsboro OR; brothers and sisters-in-law Neil and Charlotte, Cavalier; and Dwight and Sherry, Hamilton. Also surviving are eight nieces and nephews and 16 grandnieces and nephews.