Arnie Skeie

Arnie Skeie, age 79, of Winger, MN and Fosston, MN, owner of Ultima Bank Minnesota, passed away on Wednesday, February 15th, at Essentia Health Hospital in Fosston. A celebration of Arnie's life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 19th, at Kingo Lutheran Church in Fosston with the Rev. Aage Carlsen officiating. Family will greet friends for one hour prior to the celebration of life service in the church. Arrangements are with the Carlin Funeral Home of Fosston and messages to the family may be sent at www.carlinfuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/give.html) or Mayo Clinic Neurology/Dysarthrias Research (https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donatemc).Arnold "Arnie" Klaebo Skeie was born March 19, 1937 in Winger, Minnesota on the Skeie family farm to parents Willie and Nina Nelson Skeie. Arnie lived in Winger until he left to attend the Northwest School of Agriculture in Crookston, Minnesota, now known as the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC). Upon graduation, he moved to the Mesabi Iron Range and worked as a welder to save money for college. It was there that he met his first wife, Jacqueline Johnston, with whom he had two daughters. It was his future father-in-law that encouraged Arnie to become an engineer. Arnie graduated from South Dakota State University (SDSU) in Brookings, South Dakota in 1961 with an Electrical Engineering degree. Immediately following graduation, he began his 20-year career with Control Data Corporation in Minneapolis. Between 1961 and 1970, he lived in many locations prior to returning to Control Data world headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota. In 1976, Arnie purchased Farmers State Bank of Winger. He continued working at Control Data for an additional five years before leaving to fully commit himself to a career in banking. In 2004, the bank became Ultima Bank Minnesota, and now has branches in Winger, Fosston, Plummer, Bemidji, and East Grand Forks. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Arnie was an active contributor to the success of the Winger-Fosston communities. He initiated the Winger Renewal Authority, and served extensively on the Fosston Economic Development Board. He was a member of the Rotary Club including serving as President, and was a member of the First Care Medical Services Board of Trustees including three years of service as Chairperson. In 2005, Arnie was awarded the "Top Aggie Award" by UMC. The new positions of E-Commerce Analytics Faculty Scholar and Graduate Fellow were created through a gift to SDSU by Arnie in 2016. Survivors include his wife, Barbara Holmlund Skeie; daughters, Lorri (Rick) Skeie-Campbell of Corrales, NM and Dawn Skeie Crane of Fosston, MN; granddaughter Jourdan Crane of Hastings, NE; sister Colleen (Orval) Aakhus; brother-in-law Don Borgmann; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; older brother Maynard (Doris) Skeie; and sister, LaVonne Borgmann.