Funeral services for 82-year-old Ernest W. Neufeld of Mountain Lake, Minnesota, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday morning, April 20, 2015, in the First Mennonite Church in Mountain Lake. The church is located at 305 7th Street North.
Interment will be in Mountain Lake City Cemetery, located at 10th Street North and Midway Road, on Monday, April 20, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., prior to the funeral service. Mou
Pastor Elaine Kauffman will serve as officiant for the services.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 19, 2015, at Sturm Funeral Home-Mountain Lake Chapel, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The funeral home is located at 420 10th Street North.
Sturm Funeral Home-Mountain Lake Chapel is handling the funeral arrangements.
Ernest W. Neufeld passed away on Monday, April 13, 2015, in Mountain Lake.
Ernest W. Neufeld was born on June 12, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of John T. and Catherine (Wiens) Neufeld. Ernest grew up in the “Windy City” and graduated from Kelly High School in 1950.
Ernest loved the diversity of city life and sought out opportunities to serve others. He began preparing for the ministry by attending Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio (Class of 1954) and continuing at Bethany Theological Seminary in Chicago and Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana.
“Pastor Ernie,” as he was known by many, served in Mennonite congregations in Summerfield, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; Freeman, South Dakota; Fargo, North Dakota and Philadelphia, Mississippi. He served for eight years as Northern District Conference Minister.
Grandpa Ernie loved his children and grandchildren and shared his love of trains, sports, radios and thrift stores. He enjoyed volunteering at Care and Share, Heritage Village, and hospice, all in Mountain Lake.
Preceding him in death were his parents and sisters, Esther (Jack)Kressly , Elvina (Rudy)Martens and Helen Coon.
Ernest is survived by his wife of over 56 years, Lila (Penner); his sister, Edith (Steve) Michalovic; a brother-in-law, Robert Coon; his children, Randy (Susan Geil), Laurel Neufeld Weaver (Paul), Sheryl Fast (Rodney) and Rachel Neufeld- Schultze (Albrecht) and 10 grandchildren, Erin Kerns (Jason), Jonah, Jeremy, Hannah, Mitchell, Justin, Katelyn, Ann-Katrin, Ana and Jan-Christoph.