Cindy Schreiber-Beck, Ag Aviation Industry Icon, North Dakota AAA Executive Director, Passes
NAAA and the agricultural aviation community are mourning the loss of longtime ag aviation industry advocate Cindy Schreiber-Beck of North Dakota. Cindy was a member of NAAA since the 1980s and was executive director of the North Dakota Agricultural Aviation Association for nearly four decades. She and her late husband, Gerry Beck, operated the ag aviation business Tri-State Aviation until she sold it in 2017. Gerry passed away in 2007 in a P-51 aircraft accident while performing at EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI.
As the volunteer executive director of the North Dakota AAA, Cindy assisted with the Tri-State Convention, helped track memberships, and managed the organization’s accounting and administration. Cindy’s industry efforts were acknowledged when she received NAAA’s Most Active Woman Award in 1989 and the Allied Industry Individual Award in 1991. Read NAAA’s article about Cindy in the Fall 2019 Agricultural Aviation magazine to learn more about her commitment to the agricultural aviation industry.
Cindy was a commissioner on the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission from 1997 to 2022 and was a member of the governor’s task force in 2013 that helped establish North Dakota as one of the nation’s first unmanned aerial systems (UAS) test sites in Grand Forks.
Cindy was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in November 2014 and was re-elected to four-year terms in 2018 and 2022. She served on the House Education and Agriculture committees, advocating for legislation that supported agriculture, education, aviation, research and innovation.
North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong issued the following statement. “Cindy Schreiber-Beck served the citizens of North Dakota with a quiet strength and determination that touched so many facets of life, from agriculture and aviation to education and community development, and it was an honor to call her a friend,” Armstrong said. “She embodied what it means to be a public servant, a volunteer and someone who gives back to their community, their industry and their profession. Her care and compassion for our farmers, students and North Dakotans from every walk of life was evident in everything she did in the legislative chambers and the private sector, and her legacy endures in every classroom and at every airport across North Dakota. Kjersti and I extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends and legislative colleagues.” Read more here.
On March 4, 2025, Cindy was honored as the 50th inductee into the North Dakota Hall of Fame.
The funeral service will be held at the Fargo Air Museum, 1609 19th Avenue North in Fargo, ND, on Wednesday, May 28. Visitation will be from 2-4 p.m., with the service starting at 4 p.m. Burial will be at Old Bohemian Cemetery in Wahpeton. Further details regarding the funeral arrangements and obituary (when available) can be viewed here.
Our deepest condolences to her daughter Whitney, family and friends.