Obituary: Herman Doeling

Herman Richard (Dick) Doeling, 91, of Carrington, N.D., passed away peacefully on Monday, June 14, 2021. Prior to his passing, Dick was visited by family members at The Arbors in Gulf Breeze, Fla.

Funeral service was held on Saturday, June 26, 2021 at Grace Lutheran Church in Carrington, N.D. Burial was held at Carrington Cemetery. Pastor Richard Biberdorf officiated the service.

Dick Doeling was born on November 1, 1929 in Carrington, N.D. He was the eldest of three sons and one daughter, born to Evelyn Lorraine (Krueger) and George William Doeling.

Dick grew up in Bordulac, N.D. and graduated from the one-room schoolhouse in 1947. He and brothers Edwin and Gene played on the Bordulac baseball team and enjoyed several trips to the state tournaments. He enjoyed coaching the team and studied how to be a better coach in college. Dick wrote a fascinating college-level essay on the topic, and one professor urged him to go into the coaching field, but Dick's preference was for numbers and accounting. He graduated from Jamestown College in 1951, with a major in business administration. While there, he lettered in both track and tennis. In later years,when his walking pace slowed, he often joked, "It's hard to believe that I actually ran the two-mile in college."

Dick was inducted into the army on October 25, 1951, and discharged October 1, 1953. He completed basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., and was stationed in Germany at the Straubing Air Force Base. He was a corporal and often said he helped his sergeant with "paperwork." He traveled extensively throughout Europe during his military deployment. His most memorable experience was attending a free concert of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in the Vienna City Park. Not knowing which streetcar to take, he and his roommate boarded a streetcar, which took them through the Russian sector of Vienna. When Dick realized where they were, they quickly took off their American caps and slid down in their seats, enabling them to pass unnoticed at the border. When the streetcar stopped at the Russian headquarters and his roommate rose to exit, Dick grabbed his friend by the belt and pulled him back. As they returned to Germany, Dick realized that he didn't have the proper military travel documents. Luckily, the border guards paid little attention to the leave papers.

Dick returned to the U.S. and earned a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He passed his CPA exam and held a North Dakota CPA license number in the low one hundreds. He was recruited heavily by the big eight accounting firms in the east, but chose to stay in the midwest, specifically the city of Carrington. He met his future wife at a local dance, and on May 13, 1956, Dick married Shirley Weller. They had four children. Dick opened Doeling's Tax Service and provided accounting services for over 50 years. He ultimately had over 600 clients, many of them local farmers with very complex tax returns. Dick also worked as an accountant at McCurley Chevrolet. In 1969, he and Jim Vetsch jointly bought the company, and named it Jim Vetsch Chevrolet. In 1986, they added Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and GM franchises, and changed the name to Jim Vetsch Motors, eventually selling to Bessette Motors in 1997. Dick thoroughly enjoyed his work, saying "It's not really work if you love what you do."

Dick was an active member in Grace Lutheran Church, and served as treasurer and elder for many years. Civic service was a priority and he served as clerk-treasurer for both the Carrington Park Board and Carrington School District for over 30 years. Family members recall many Sunday drives in the park along Highway 281 to check on the progress of trees planted by the Carrington Park District. Carrington's Chamber of Commerce and the Carrington Lions Club were two other organizations Dick supported. He was especially proud of the Lions Club's collaboration with the Boy Scouts to pick up trash along the highway (Adopt-A-Highway Program); Dick spearheaded that effort for many years.

Once Dick and Shirley retired, they volunteered regularly at Carrington's Daily Bread and found great fulfillment in helping those in need. In 2007, Dick established "The Class of '51 Anonymous Scholarship" at Jamestown College to help aspiring students with tuition.

Dick enjoyed traveling. Some of his favorite trips were later in life when he and Shirley went to Mexico, Aruba, Australia, New Zealand, and Italy. Dick and Shirley celebrated their milestone anniversaries with family. Their 25th was in Carrington, and their 50th was celebrated on a Caribbean Christmas cruise with all their children and grandchildren. Dick would often smile and lovingly declare, "I married an exceptional lady."

Dick is preceded in death by his parents Evelyn and George Doeling, his wife Shirley Doeling, and his brother Edwin Doeling. He is survived by son Paul Doeling; daughters: Dee (Forrest) Ramsel, Linda (Robert) Spencer, and Mary (Paul) Hlavinka; brother Gene (Lori) Doeling; sister Dorothy Funden; grandchildren: Jessica (Jonathan) Miller, Janelle Ramsel, Katie (Bobby) Duke, Gena (Steven) Durr, Alexander Spencer and Zachary Spencer, and great-grandsons Eli and Bennett Miller and Calvin Duke.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Carrington's Daily Bread, 875 Main Street, Carrington, N.D. 58421, or the University of Jamestown listing the renamed "Dick Doeling Memorial Scholarship", 6082 College Lane, Jamestown, N.D. 58405.

Arrangements by Evans Funeral Home of Carrington, N.D.