Funeral services for 85-year-old Earl Thiessen of Mountain Lake, Minnesota, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday morning, May 12, 2014, at the Community Bible Church in Butterfield, Minnesota. The church is located at 100 Chapman Street. Pastor Jim Sprague will officiate at the services.
Interment will be in Butterfield Mennonite Cemetery, one mile north of Butterfield on Watonwan County Road #5.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 11, 2014, in the Mountain Lake Chapel of Sturm Funeral Home, located at 420 10th Street North in Mountain Lake.
A second visitation will be held at the church one hour prior to services.
Earl D. Thiessen passed away Friday, May 9, 2014 at The Good Samaritan Village in Mountain Lake.
He was born in rural Butterfield on March 18, 1929, the son of David and Elizabeth (Harder) Thiessen. Earl was a graduate of Butterfield Public High School. On March 9, 1951 Earl and Irene (Linscheid) were wed. They were blessed with five children. When the kids were younger, Earl enjoyed taking them and many other community youths (including those from a school for the learning-impaired) in his bus to go roller skating or to other recreation. Earl and Irene enjoyed traveling and had memorable trips to Spain and South America. Earl was active in his church, was on the Mennonite Disaster Service committee and enjoyed helping others. He also enjoyed woodworking and being with his grandchildren. For 45 years, Earl raised crops and milked cows, retiring to the City of Butterfield in the mid-’90s.
After Irene died, Earl married Eleanor Linscheid, who passed away in 2011. In 2007, Earl moved into The Good Samaritan Village.
Earl Thiessen is survived by his children: Marilyn (Gary) Timmers of Brainerd, Minnesota; Ron (Chris) Thiessen of Butterfield; Janet (Bryce Boldt) Wolff of Mountain Lake; Carol (Tom) Krueger of St. Joseph, Minnesota and Marsha (Joel Stumm) Forsyth of Windom, Minnesota; a brother Elvin Thiessen of Butterfield; five grandchildren: Jill (Jason) Lentz, Brian Timmers, Amanda (Justin) Taraldson, Thea (Jorge) Valdez, and Kyle Krueger; seven great-grandchildren: Allen and Laura Lentz, Ryker and Cael Taraldson, and Justin, Veronica, and Joseph Valdez and many other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Irene in 2000; wife, Elanor in 2011 and in 2013, his brother Albert.
