SMERUD, Edmund Oscar 1915-1998

SMERUD, WILD, GANTENBEIN, FEE, FINK, MCKENNA, KEENAN, INTELKOFER, CARROLL, BAAL

Posted By: Errin Wilker (email)
Date: 7/26/2015 at 14:06:30

Edmund Oscar Smerud, 82, died Tuesday, February 10, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in La Crosse, Wis. He was born on October 11, 1915, in New Albin, Iowa, to Oscar and Clara (Wild) Smerud.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 14, 1998, at 11 a.m. in St. Joseph's Church, New Albin, with visitation on Friday 4 to 8 p.m. at the New Albin Townhouse. Fr. Henry Charipar will officiate. Burial with military rites will be in the City Cemetery located next to his farm land and his home.

He served during World War II with the Navy Seabee's at Guadalcanal in the South Pacific.

On January 13, 1944, he married Betty M. Gantenbein at St. Joseph's Church in New Albin. They moved out west and homesteaded near Riverton, Wyoming, in 1946. Then they moved back and framed in rural New Albin. Ed worked for a number of years with the Army Corp of Engineers as a tugboat pilot. He also worked as bulldozer operator and did commercial fishing on the Mississippi River near his home.

He is survived by his wife, Betty; five sons, Steven (Sue) of Lovelock, Nev., George (Evelyn) of Anchorage, Alaska, Carver (Linda) and Eddie (Janice) of New Albin and Gus (Patti) of Onalaska, Wis.; two daughters, Alana (Clarence) Fee of White Cloud, Kansas, and Sally (John) Fink of New Albin; 27 grandchildren; and eight great- grandchildren. He is also survived by four brothers, Alfred of La Crosse, Donald of Waukon and George and John of New Albin; four sisters, Sara Smerud of Tomah, Wis., Vangie McKenna of Clutier, Iowa, Margaretta Keenan of Waukon and Rosemary Intelkofer of Las Vegas, Nev. He was preceded in death by two sisters, Rita Ann Carroll and Clara Louise Baal.

Pallbearers will be Steven, George, Carver, Eddie and Gus Smerud and John Fink. Honorary Pallbearers will be grandsons, Ben, Kenny and Joey Smerud; Luke, John and Sawyer Fink; Eric Wiedner and Peter Fee.

Source: La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse, WI, 13 Feb. 1998.