Obits | Perham Focus

Duane J. Heley Duane J. Heley passed away at the age of 85 years on November 30, 2020, in Mesa, Arizona, from complications of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Duane was born in Richland County, North Dakota on June 4, 1935, the son of Joseph J. Heley and Doris Heley (Kotchian). He attended high school in Lidgerwood, North Dakota, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from North Dakota State University. Duane worked as a Professional Engineer in Fargo, North Dakota, primarily in the area of soils and material testing. Duane was the consummate builder. He built a wonderful family, with two children and six grandchildren. He founded Midwest Testing Laboratories, Inc. and built that company from a one-person shop to a regional engineering firm with offices in multiple states. Duane also served as an adjunct professor at NDSU and taught classes on soils. In his spare time, Duane built a small cabin for the family on a lake near Perham, Minnesota in 1965 and completed several additions in the following years. Subsequently, he purchased farmland adjacent to the lake and constructed another home, roads, motorhome pads and a lake landing to serve the farm. Duane spent summers and much of his post retirement life at the family cabin and farm or travelling in his motor home. He moved to Mesa, Arizona full time in 2018. Duane was a loving husband, father, grandfather, friend, neighbor, engineer, businessman, advisor and mentor. He enjoyed spending time at the cabin, playing cards, solving puzzles, travelling, working on his farm projects, monitoring current events and watching football, particularly his beloved NDSU Bison. He was proceeded in death by his wife of 53 years, R. Ellen (Haugen) Heley in 2010. He is survived by his children, Mark J. Heley (Cheryl) in Bloomington, Minnesota and B. Lynn Endres (Jeff) in Lewis Center, Ohio, along with six grandchildren, Jennifer, Spencer, Brennan and Susan Heley and Bailey and Jordan Endres. There will be a private memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the North Dakota State University Foundation, for the benefit of the NDSU College of Engineering, 1241 University Drive North, Fargo, North Dakota (www.ndsufoundation.com/give).