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Dr. Donald Henry DeKrey

Donald Henry DeKrey was born September 29, 1927 to Hannah (Begeman) and John DeKrey Jr. on the family farmstead outside Pettibone, ND. Upon high school graduation, DeKrey worked one year on the family farm and then taught grades 1-8 in a one-room schoolhouse in Kidder County. A year later he attended UND graduating June 5, 1951 with a BA in journalism. While in college he worked at KNOX radio selling advertising. Don married his college sweetheart, Ione Louise Anderson on June 20, 1951 in Lincoln, NE. DeKrey earned a Masters degree in psychology August 13, 1953. He taught at Bemidji State College in Minnesota in 1958 for three years full time and then as an adjunct professor for many years. Don earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from UND in February 4, 1962. He went to work at the Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center in 1962 where he was a psychologist, clinical director and executive director, retiring in 1998. He was widowed in 1986 and later married Connie Simenson on September 26, 1993. He was widowed a second time on May 3, 2001. On July 13, 2002 DeKrey married Petra Hegstad.

He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Bemidji and served as president for two years. Other memberships include the Elks Club and BSU Legacy Foundation. He served on the North Country Regional Hospital Board as well as the Paul Bunyan Playhouse Theater Board. Don enjoyed woodworking, reading, gardening, fishing, traveling, the outdoors, and especially his morning coffee, breakfast and lunch groups.

Dr. DeKrey passed away on February 9, 2014 in Fargo, North Dakota in the U.S. after complications of pneumonia.