Lyle Long

Lyle Long went to his heavenly home on February 9th at the HIA Heather’s House in Fargo at the age of 90. Services will be held on February 13th at the Faith Evangelical Free Church in Grand Forks, ND. A visitation will be held at 10 a.m. with the main service starting at 11 a.m. The burial will be held at a later time at the cemetery in Leeds, ND.

Lyle was born to Loren and Anna (Burkhart) Long in their home on the farm in York, ND on May 20, 1935. He attended grade school in York and later graduated from Leeds High School in 1953.

Lyle married Diane Cowan, on June 17, 1962. Together they raised three beautiful daughters: Cynthia, Michelle, and Cherise. The Longs farmed near York until retiring and moving to Grand Forks in 2005. After retirement, Lyle and Diane enjoyed escaping the snowy North Dakota winters by heading down to the sunny state of Arizona. While in Arizona, Lyle enjoyed playing pool, golfing, and spending time with both new and old friends.

Lyle was a very innovative farmer, not afraid to try new approaches to changing conditions, and often his ideas were proven to be useful to others as well. He designed the drawbar for the Herman Harrow, experimented with flax strips to stop soil erosion (before no-till farming became the standard), won the Soil Conservation Award, was named Outstanding Young Farmer, and won the outstanding dealer for several years while selling seed for the Dahlgren Company. He served on the Baker Electric Company board for 15 years.

As a man of strong faith, Lyle enjoyed being active in his church community by teaching Sunday school classes, leading Bible studies, and serving on several boards. He was a consistent example to all of his children of how to live Godly lives. He stood strong to his last breath on the foundation of faith, love, respect, and kindness and was an example of what a man of God and a leader of a family should look like.

Lyle was well read, well versed in political things and stood up proudly for his beliefs. Whether he agreed with you or not, he always enjoyed a good discussion.

He is survived by his wife Diane of 63 years; three daughters – Cynthia Spenst, Michelle Landis (William), Cherise Cave (Rob); seven grandchildren – Chelaine Anderson (Josh), Chad Spenst (Courtney), Jennifer Payne (Jesse), Ashley Landis, Ryan Cave (Cortnie), Evan Cave (Samara), Anthony Cave (Shannon); five great grandchildren – Emery and Camden Payne, Jaxon and Quinn Anderson, and Rae Spenst; and two sisters, Doris Randle and Miriam Royer and several nieces and nephews. He was proceeded in death by his parents and son-in-law, Danny Spenst.

To watch a live stream of the service from the church, please use the link: https://youtube.com/live/mbRKLHAbsAA?feature=share