Glen A. Ellingson, 88, of Rochester and formerly of Ostrander, Minn., died Tuesday Sept. 22, 2009 at Madonna Towers in Rochester where he had resided since 2005.
Glen was born June 23, 1921 in Austin to Gunder Ellingson and Barbara Thorson Ellingson. He attended school in Carpenter, Iowa and graduated from high school in 1939 from St. Ansgar, Iowa. He drove a truck and worked as a carpenter before joining the U.S. Army in 1942. He served in the Army Air Corps attaining the rank of corporal and was honorably discharged in 1946. Glen was a member of the American Legion for more than 50 years. After he was discharged Glen worked driving trucks, farming and in carpentry.
On March 31, 1946 Glen was united in marriage to Verneal Nelson in Northwood, Iowa. She passed away in November 2000.
Glen served as a rural mail carrier from Dec. 1952 until January 1975 in the Taopi and LeRoy, Minn. area. He also operated a seasonal Income Tax Office in LeRoy. For several years, while living in LeRoy, he was a member of the local school board and also the state school board where he held the positions of vice president and then president. He was named to the Education Council by Gov. Harold LeVander. Glen and his family had moved to LeRoy in 1960 where they lived until 1975 when they moved to Wayne, Neb. He purchased Ellingson Motors in 1975, operating it until his retirement in 1983 when they moved to Port Charlotte, Fla.
Glen was always very active serving on several civic organizations and church boards in the communities where he resided.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Verneal; son, Ward; and five brothers and four sisters.
He is survived by his children: sons Mark (Joan) Ellingson of Halstead, Kan., Bruce (Marie) Ellingson of Union, Ky., Grant Ellingson of Fort Myers, Fla., Clay (Sue) Ellingson of Moorhead, Minn., Jon (Marilyn) Ellingson of Gretna, Neb., Cedric (Lori) Ellingson of Hudson, Wis.; two daughters; Pam (Bruce) Mensink of Rochester, Minn., Janet (Larry) Schreier of Oriental, N.C.; daughter-in-law Diane Ellingson of Eden Prairie, Minn.; 22 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday Sept. 26, 2009 at Deer Creek Lutheran Church in Carpenter, Iowa with the Rev. Rolf Wangberg and the Rev. Lance Kittleson officiating. Burial will be in the Sunset Rest Cemetery in Northwood, Iowa. Friends may call at the Hindt Funeral Home in LeRoy from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday and one hour prior at the church in Carpenter.