ENFIELD, Loren Keith 1924-2009

ENFIELD, CUMMINGS, HARDEN

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 3/12/2009 at 11:21:02

Loren Keith "Smokey" Enfield

Loren Keith "Smokey" Enfield, age 84 of Austin, Minnesota, died at his home Thursday, March 5, 2009. Funeral services were held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, March 9, 2009 at First United Methodist Church in Austin, with Rev. Dennis Tamke and Rev. David Simersen officiating. Interment was at LeRoy Lutheran Cemetery with military rites by American Legion Post 91 and VFW Post 1216.

He was born on November 22, 1924 to Elga and Ellen (Cummings) Enfield in Osage, Mitchell county, Iowa, where he grew up and after completing his education, he moved to Austin to work at Geo. A. Hormel & Company. In 1942 he entered the US Army, serving in the Ranger Unit in Europe as a tank driver. Awarded two purple hearts, he served as a Prisoner of War. After his discharge, he returned to Hormel's, working in the flavor seal warehouse, driving a fork lift.

He married Wanda Beth Harden in November, 1946. Loren and Wanda later divorced. He retired from Hormel Foods in 1986 and was a rural carrier for the Minneapolis Tribune. A member of First United Methodist Church, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and the VFW, Loren enjoyed hunting, fishing, softball, photography, cooking and snowmobiles. He was able to fix everything. He operated snowmobile dealerships for Polaris, Rupp and Brute. Loren was a gunsmith and owned and operated Smokey's Gun Shop for many years.

Survivors include sons, Larry (Gwen) Enfield of Ely, Michael (Cindy) Enfield of Austin, Tom (Lisa Sanders) Enfield of Austin, David (Ginny) Enfield of Brooklyn Park, Dan Enfield of Austin; daughter, Penny (Randy) Deters of Brownsdale; daughter-in-law, Dianna Enfield of Rochester; 15 grandchildren; 15 great- grandchildren, sisters, Margaret (Ray) Jacobson of LeRoy and Dorothy Bergan of LeRoy, nieces, nephews and other relatives.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; his son, Steven on October 6, 2005 and a brother, Geraldean "Dean."

[Mitchell County Press, 3/12/2009]