North Dakota Skydiving legend's legacy lives on in the sky

WEST FARGO — When the weather is clear, you’ll likely see the majestic sight of skydivers soaring over West Fargo. It’s all thanks to one man, Donald Solberg, and his passion for growing the sport in North Dakota.

As the propellers turn at the West Fargo Airport, a group of thrill seekers prepare to do something many refuse to do.

“He felt like everybody should have an opportunity to skydive if they wanted to. And I think if he was standing here today, he’d be so proud of what his legacy is bringing,” said Megean Solberg.

These brave souls are taking advantage of a vision from Donald Solberg.

“Thirty years ago, he was one of the founding members. He also was just extremely into skydiving. He thought everybody should be able to do a skydive. Just super passionate about the whole skydiving in the skydiving community,” said President of Skydive Fargo Craig Graf.

Donald Solberg passed away earlier this year after a battle with vascular Parkinson’s. That’s when his daughter created a legacy foundation in his honor, granting one person a year the opportunity to feel the thrill he felt thousands of times. The first recipient was an anxious Lindsey Larsen.

“I was really nervous once I started driving down the gravel road and my heart started to pound. So, I’m extremely nervous,” she said.

It’s a bucket list opportunity for Lindsey, who grew up just down the road from the airport. Her unique encounter with Don Solberg, and a gold-plated Mickey Mouse Watch decades ago, made this opportunity so much sweeter.

“And Don was literally walking the ditches and into the field like just constant back and forth. So I stopped to ask him what he was doing, and he said he had lost a watch while skydiving, so I stopped to assist, to try to look for this watch in a field. I remembered who he was, because I remember that day really, really well,” said Larsen.

The watch was never found. But, after a bout with Mother Nature, they think Don Solberg may have had something to do with the skies clearing at dusk.

“When you’re at 10,000 to 12,000 feet and, you know, you’re getting ready to jump out or you look out, it doesn’t really look real, you know? It’s just, you can’t really pick out individual cars or anything. You can see the city of Fargo. You can see Mapleton. It’s really a peaceful thing,” Graf said.

As Larsen soars through the air, a lasting memory is created in honor of Don Solberg.

“That was actually incredible,” Larsen said after landing.

The Donald J. Solberg North Dakota Legacy Skydiving Foundation takes applications in April for their annual skydive. More information can be found on the Skydive Fargo

website.