Richard Fife

Richard “Barney” Fife, 67, of Finley, North Dakota, passed away on Wednesday, January 8th, at Bethany Retirement Home, in Fargo, North Dakota. Richard was born August 24th, 1957, in Ravenna, Ohio, to Carol and Robert Fife. He attended school at Rootstown Township School, in Rootstown, Ohio, and joined the United States Marine Corps in 1974. Upon his discharge from the United States Military, Richard spent time travelling across the United States and, during a stop in Moorhead, Minnesota, he met Lorie Lokken. The couple wed in 1981 and had four children.

Richard worked for many years as a truck driver and, later in life, during the Bakken oil boom, he spent time hauling freshwater to fracking sites around Williston, North Dakota, while living near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers.

Richard loved a good steak, the band AC/DC, and his collection of Harley-Davidson motorcycles but, most of all, he fiercely loved his family. Richard may not have always been the easiest man to get along with, but he left an indelible mark on those with whom he shared his life.

The Fife family would like to offer special thanks and appreciation to the employees of Aurora and DaVita Dialysis clinics, Hospice of the Red River Valley, as well as the nursing staff of Bethany on University, for their compassion and care in the final months of Richard’s life.

Richard is survived by his sons, Ezra Fife, of Finley, ND, and Richard (Jenna) Fife of Missoula, MT, daughter Sarah (Michael) St. John of Fargo, ND; siblings, James Fife, North Canton, OH, Eugene Fife, Fargo, ND, Thomas Fife, Charles Boling, and Kelly Boling, of Sevierville, TN; as well as his ten grandchildren, Taybrissa, Tarris, Brooklyn, Natalie, Zachery, Freya, Jase, Jovie, Judah, and Jynx. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Carol Boling and Robert Fife; son, Zachery Fife; and sister, Donna Lee.

A celebration of life for Barney will be held in the coming summer months.