Ashton Zane Spiering

Ashton Zane Spiering entered this world almost two hours after his twin sister, on Thursday, May 14, 1999. From the minute he was born, he had a gleam in his eye and a smile that would light up a room. Ashton was a mama’s boy and always said his mom was his first love. He loved to be loved.

Ashton had the most beautiful, compassionate, humble, considerate, respectful, empathetic, sweet—and most of all, sensitive—soul. From the time he could walk, he had an unimaginable amount of empathy for others, regardless of who they were or where they came from. He was the kind of person animals, the elderly, and children were naturally drawn to.

Over the last 10 years, the world had simply become too much for Ashton. He turned to substances, and by age 20, fentanyl entered his life, leading him down a difficult, scary, and cold path that haunted him. For years, he battled addiction—an illness often accompanied by shame, inner demons, guilt, sadness, anger, and all the uncomfortable emotions that weigh heavily on the soul. For eight years, Ashton struggled to make it past 90 days sober—until March 13, 2025. His laugh, the gleam in his eye, that beautiful soul had finally returned after so many years was a gift. Although he was still struggling, for the first time in a long while, Ashton felt proud of himself. Ashton truly impacted everyone whose path he crossed. He was a wise soul who knew more about life than he ever led on. Unfortunately Ashton never saw the beauty others saw in him or the beautiful soul who had the ability to light up a room.

Ashton completed this chapter on May 5, 2025, and moved on to the next—where he is now surrounded by his favorite thunderstorms, green grass, mountains, solitude, fresh air, animals, country land, tacos, endless love, and, best of all, inner peace.

Ashton is survived by his mom, JoAnn Spiering; his twin sister, Olivia Spiering (Zan); and his fur siblings, June and Frankie. He is also survived by the many kind souls who never gave up on him and always believed in him.

A Message from Ashton’s Sister:

My twin brother, Ashton, was so many things to me—a warrior, dreamer, compassionate, intelligent, brave, intuitive, and my better half. My heart died the moment Ashton took his last breath. He loved big and played hard and we’ll always remember that about him. He always looked out for my mom and me, whether he was close by or far away, and I know he still will.

Ashton loved old people, babies and animals, and they loved him. When we were kids, my empathetic brother shed tears at retail sign walker workers who worked on hot days on the street corners of busy intersections. He was an old soul and had more empathy and compassion than anyone I’ve ever known—even for people he didn’t know.

Fentanyl and other opioid overdoses are a leading cause of death in the United States, and addiction affects people from all walks of life across North Dakota: rich, poor, middle class, fathers, mothers, daughters, sons and siblings. Addiction is a crisis that has hit hard in the Fargo-Moorhead and other surrounding communities. Substance abuse disorder is a disease. It can affect anyone; in fact, you probably don’t even realize you know someone who is struggling with addiction. My brother suffered from a disease, not a moral failing.

A Message from JoAnn & Olivia Spiering:

Olivia and I would like to thank the compassionate counselors and professionals who over the years made an impact on Ashton and some he still talked about. Most recently we would like to thank and express our gratitude to the Cass County Drug Court Team for assisting Ashton on this journey and allowing the world to briefly experience his beautiful light before moving on to his well-earned next chapter.

Ashton was always open about his struggles with addiction. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Ashton Spiering scholarship fund through The Justice Well Program in Fargo, ND, created by JoAnn and Olivia Spiering, aiming to keep Ashton’s legacy alive. It will serve as a beacon of hope, encouraging open conversations about the disease of addiction, and providing recovery support to those in need. Link to donate here: https://bit.ly/436SCIF

*No matter when or how you knew Ashton, we invite you to join us in celebrating his life on Wednesday, May 14th, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Gooseberry Park in Moorhead, MN.*