Donald O. Kirchner 1913-1994

KIRCHNER, ELLIS, GRIFFITH, CONN, FERGUSON, BEAVER, LEEL

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 10/13/2012 at 21:43:41

Services for Donald O. Kirchner, 80, of Gruver, will be held Tuesday, April 5, at the Gruver Presbyterian Church, at 10:30 a.m. The Rev. Neal Armstrong will officiate. Interment will be at East Side Cemetery in Estherville. He died April 1, 1994 at his home in Gruver. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 4, at the Gruver Presbyterian Church.

He was born December 27, 1913 in Woodstock, Minn., the son of George and Mae (Griffith) Kirchner. He began his education in the rural Emmet County Schools and then attended Estherville High School. He married Evelyn Ellis on May 27, 1942 at Huntington. He moved to Emmet county at the age of five. The family lived on farms and farmed near Estherville until 1964, when they moved to Gruver. He and his wife wintered in Mesa, Ariz., for the past 15 years. He was a livestock trucker for over 60 years. After retiring, he continued to help local farmers and hauled gravel. He enjoyed trucks, farm machinery and woodworking. He was a member of the Gruver Presbyterian Church, serving as a Trustee and Elder. He served several years on the Gruver City council was a board member of ECCOG and was an honorary 4-H leader.

He was survived by his wife; two sons, Darrel Kirchner of Gruver and Kenneth Kirchner of Gilbert, Ariz., five daughters, Mrs. Roger (Marilyn) Conn of Glenwood, Mrs. Dean (Kaylene) Ferguson, Tempe, Ariz., Mrs. Bob (Paula) Beaver of Estherville and Mrs. Bruce (Jo-Ann) Leel of Houston, Minn.; 19 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother-in-law. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, April 4, 1994)