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Martin Kristian Elstad

1914 - 2006

 

Martin Kristian Elstad
Sept. 11, 1914 - Dec. 24, 2006

Martin Kristian Elstad, 92, of Boulder City, Nev., and formerly of the Harmony, Minn., area, passed away Dec. 24, 2006, in Bolder City.

Funeral services will be Friday, Jan. 5, at 10:30 a.m. at Elstad Lutheran Church in rural Lanesboro, Minn.

Friends may call at Lindstrom Funeral Home in Harmony from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and one hour prior to services at the church. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Martin was born Sept. 11, 1914, in Highland, Minn. He graduated from high school in Mabel, Minn., and from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, in 1935. After graduation, he worked as a high school teacher. In June 1938, he married Laura Monson of Decorah. In January 1942, he was commissioned as ensign in the U.S. Navy and served four years on active duty during and after World War II. After serving another 22 years in the Navy Reserve, he retired with the rank of commander. He returned to the family farm, north of Canton (Lenora), in January 1946, and while farming, taught a vocational agriculture course under the G.I. Bill. After the vo-ag program concluded, he transferred into the high school and taught in Canton, Minn., and later in Harmony, while continuing to maintain the farm.

After his retirement in 1974, he divided his time between the home farm in the summer and a winter residence in Yuma, Ariz. After 61 years of marriage, he lost his beloved Laura in February 1999. In May 2002, he moved to The Homestead, an assisted-living facility in Boulder City, Nev.

He is survived by two sons; Leif (Audrey) of Boulder City and Erik (Glenda) of Huntington Beach, Calif,; and three grandchildren, Dawn Elstad of Chandler, Ariz., Jon Elstad of Las Vegas and Craig Elstad of Savage, Minn.

source: Daily News, Winina, Minnesota, 3 Jan 2007, page 4A, column 4

 

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