David "DJ" Meberg

David J. Meberg, 71, Hebron, passed away on January 30, 2020. A memorial service celebrating DJ’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at St. John’s Church, Hebron.

Interment of ashes will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at the ND Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

David John (DJ) Meberg was born December 18, 1948 in Park River, ND, the first of Gail and David Urby Meberg’s four sons. He was confirmed at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, attended Dundee #34, a one-room schoolhouse, and graduated as an Aggie from WCAS, Walsh County Agricultural School, in 1966.

He attended ND School of Forestry for two years, and then got his first taste of adventure while serving in the Air Force for four years, which included two years in Guam and stops at airports all over the world as a crew chief on a C-130.

After being honorably discharged in 1973, he returned to Park River to help his dad farm, and his mom set him up on a blind date with Claudia Mische. Soon after, she moved to San Francisco, and DJ decided to attend Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa; his route to Tulsa just happened to go through San Francisco. After monthly phone bills that were more than their rent, they got engaged, and married on June 29th,1974, in Hebron, ND. After receiving his A&P (Aeronautics & Powerplant) certificate in 1975, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska and he worked as an aircraft mechanic and AI on a variety of planes, from Super Cubs to Learjets, Metroliners, and Skyvans.

While in Alaska, he became a father to Elizabeth, David, and twins Aaron and Ruth. After his own father died in 1984, the family decided to return to North Dakota, engaging in farming and still doing small airplane maintenance and inspection. He loved teaching Hunter Safety Education and organized an air-rifle shooting team at Hebron High School. He was an active American Legion member. He started working full time for the ND Army National Guard as an observation helicopter repairer and tech inspector in 1994, and he also worked in drug enforcement reconnaissance. DJ and Claudia moved to Bismarck in 1998 and were members of Lord of Life Lutheran Church. In 2004 he was transferred to Fargo where they enjoyed being grandparents. DJ especially enjoyed napping while holding babies.

The lure of rural life drew him again after retiring from the Guard in 2008, and in 2011 DJ and Claudia moved back to the Hebron area and DJ worked at Western Edge Aviation in Dickinson.

In 2016 he officially retired again, and in August of that year, his son Aaron gave him the priceless gift of life, as a living donor of a liver transplant. We are so grateful for the extra years the transplant gave him! The last years of his life, DJ dealt with a cancer diagnosis the same way he did everything else - head on, with confidence in his doctors, and visiting with the many people who made his medical visits more enjoyable. He died peacefully in his sleep at home, which was his Plan A. We would like to thank oncology and palliative care at MidDakota Clinic, the Interventional Radiology team at St. Alexius and the Bismarck Cancer Center for the kind care they provided.

DJ loved his wife, his children (including those by marriage) and grandkids. He loved airplanes, riding his motorcycle, and road trips with Claudia or his brother and best friend Dean. He could fix just about anything that needed fixing, if Claudia just waited long enough. He enjoyed visiting with people and reading. He loved to watch and read Westerns. He demonstrated hard work, honesty, and dedication in every aspect of his life, and gave generous and frequent hugs. He was a devoted son, brother, cousin, father, uncle, grandfather, friend, and husband. We will miss him so much.

Preceding him in death were his father, mother, and brothers Arne and Dean.

Missing him here are his wife, Claudia; children, Liz (Aaron) Jost, David (Jessica), Aaron (Kate), and Ruth Meberg; grandchildren, Leah, Ben and Adam Jost, David, Henry and Edith Meberg, Archie and Ruthie Meberg, and James and Naomi Stine; and his brother, Lynn (Yolanda); as well as numerous cousins, brothers and sisters-in-law, and nieces and nephews.

If you would like to honor DJ, in lieu of flowers, please donate to the Gift of Life Transplant House at Mayo Clinic.