Ernie Lee Bingaman, 80, of Little Rock, AR, formerly of Churchs Ferry, ND, son of Ernest and Lily (Thompson) Bingaman, passed away on January 18, 2018 at the St. Vincent Hospital in Little Rock.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, May 19th at 11:00 a.m. at the Antiochia Lutheran Church, rural Churchs Ferry with Kevin Thompson officiating. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Scripture readers will be Randy Thompson and Carren Anderson. Music will be provided by Rita Thompson Halverson, Rhonda Thompson Gilpatrick and Sid Bingaman. A noon meal & fellowship to honor Ernie's life will be held on Saturday, May 19th at 12:30 p.m. at the Churchs Ferry Alumni Center in Churchs Ferry, ND. All are welcome to attend. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Military Honors will be provided by the Robert Tovsrud VFW Post #757 of Harlow and the North Dakota Military Funeral Honors Team.

Ernie Lee Bingaman, 80, was born May 31, 1937 on a farm in rural Churchs Ferry, Normania Township, Benson County to Ernest (Dutch) and Lily (Thompson) & received his education at the Churchs Ferry Public School. Ernie served in the US Navy from 1954-1958. He was enrolled in extensive education courses & earned electronic technician specialist status, (ET2). He was chosen to be on the US Government International Geographic Team which conducted government projects in Antarctica (IGY 1957-58) in areas around McMurdo Sound including their winter season with no sunshine. He sailed on the Flagship Arneb for the Operation Deepfreeze project. Temperatures read to around 100 degrees below zero at the South Pole & winds up to 109 knots velocity were recorded. The Navy took 3 tons of food & issued 95 lbs. of special cold weather clothing for each man. Navy personnel made their way from building to building through tunnels. Ernie also worked for the Antarctica ham radio station, their only method of communication, & through the assistance of people in the United States, he was able to transfer a few hamgrams to his parents in Churchs Ferry. After his US Navy discharge, Ernie again realized his passion for trucking, purchased his own equipment & trucked in several states in southeastern US. He was affiliated with the Colonial Freight Systems a long time, & headquartered in West Memphis, Arkansas. He received several awards for truck driving safety. He was baptized, confirmed & a life member of Antiochia Lutheran Church of rural Churchs Ferry until it closed. Ernie enjoyed coming home to the farm, the animals, birds, visits with family & friends & often found it hard to leave.

Survivors include: sister – Betty Lou (Don) Horn of Prudenville, Michigan & her children, Troy (Cathy) Miller & Todd (Beth) Miller; brothers – Sidney Bingaman of Churchs Ferry; Larry (Barbara) Bingaman of Sierra Vista, Arizona & his children, Shaun & Sheri; Danny Bingaman (twin) of Grand Forks & his children, Dale (Kelli) and Dannette (Zach); great-nieces, great-nephews & many cousins. Ernie passed away on January 18, 2018, after a lingering illness, at St. Vincent Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Donny Bingaman (twin) & nephew Duane Douglas Bingaman.