Dr. Fike A. Zahroon

Dr. Fike A. Zahroon, age 82, of Moorhead, MN, passed away on Friday, November 22, 2019 at Essentia Health, Fargo, ND.

Fike Amara Zahroon was born on October 8, 1937 to Amara Zahroon Al sabti and Harbeya (Alock Al khmisi) in Basrah, Iraq. Fike went to high school and graduated from the University of Baghdad in Iraq with a Bachelor of Science in 1960. That year, he also was the first prize winner of the Iraqui Academy of Science. He was an instructor of Mathematics at the college for two years before traveling to Ohio State University to further his education and received his Master’s in Statistics in 1964 and his Doctorate’s in 1968. While living and studying in Columbus, OH, he met the love of his life, Earlean Daniel, and they were married on May 20, 1964. Together, they started a family and moved to Moorhead in 1966, where Fike began teaching statistics and algebra at Moorhead State University. Over the years, he took sabbatical leaves to travel overseas. Fike retired from teaching in 1990. Following his retirement, he spent his time volunteering at the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in Dilworth and traveling to Kentucky in the summers with Earlean.

Fike was a master at chess and was able to beat every computerize opponent he challenged. One of his proud accomplishments was writing and publishing statistic textbooks which are still used by Ohio State University. He enjoyed cooking and grilling meals for his family and his favorite snack was nuts. He collected clocks and watches and attended many auctions. He adored spending time with his family and had a wonderful sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by his loved ones.

Fike is survived by his wife of 55 years, Earlean; daughters, Diana (Ricky) Rasmussen, Betty (Michael Ribe) Fear, Karen (Bruce) Yarber, Ruby Grinder, and Selma (Bart) Gerbracht; 17 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and sisters, Bahija and Emtethal.

Fike was preceded in death by his parents; great-grandchildren, Annika Qualay and Louis LaCroix; three brothers; and one sister.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at 2:00 P.M., with a visitation starting at 1:00 P.M., at Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead.