Archie Olaf Forseth

Archie O. Forseth, 65 of Sarles, ND died on Sunday, June 11, 2006 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Funeral Services for Archie will be held on Friday, June 16, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. at Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake. Rev. Adrian Olson will officiate and burial will be in the Corinthian Cemetery, rural Calvin, ND. Military Honors will be accorded by the Brumwell-Grey American Legion Post #276 of Sarles. Friends may call at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Thursday from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on Friday from 9:00 a.m. until time of service. Archie was born on April 2, 1941, in Tacoma, Washington to Arnold and Mary Alice (Heller) Forseth. His parents moved to Sarles, North Dakota when he was an infant and he was raised there, graduating from the Sarles High School in 1959. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota in 1963 and, while serving as an officer in the United States Airforce, obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration. Throughout his military career, he piloted C-130 Hercules airplanes. After concluding his 20-year military career, he continued to pursue his love of flying by working for Southern Air Transport and Lockheed Arabia, even piloting the king’s airplane in Saudi Arabia. He once commented that the king’s plane was the heaviest that he had flown – because some of the furniture, including a bed, was made of gold. After suffering a heart attack while flying in New Guinea, he started a new career: he moved back home to Sarles and founded the Forseth Insurance Agency, operating that business until his death. He loved to hunt, fish, camp, cook and collect recipes, and traveled extensively to enjoy these activities. He is survived by his mother, Mary Alice Forseth of Devils Lake. Five children, Kimberley Sue Woodyard of Little Rock, Arkansas; Eric Olaf Forseth of Bloomington, Minnesota; Dawn Michele McFatridge of Vancouver, Washington; Kristen Lynn Buckland, of Gig Harbor, Washington; and Brett J Forseth of Tacoma, Washington Nine grandchildren, Daniel and Lily Woodyard, Bethany, MacKenzie, and Whitney Forseth, John and Sarah McFatridge, and Alexis and Erika Buckland. Sister, Patricia Hell, a nephew, Richard Hell, and numerous aunts and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father, Arnold Forseth, and his grandparents, Olaf and Anna Forseth, and George and Mary Heller. Archie’s vitality sustained him through several heart attacks, a heart transplant, and, finally, cancer. Indeed, these difficulties never daunted him: he faced each hurdle with overwhelming confidence. Even having left this world, his indomitable spirit continues to sustain his family and others who knew and loved him.