Glesne, John Oscar 1927 - 2018
GLESNE, LEE, STOKKE, NIELSEN, SMITH, STRACKE, BRAUNS, BOCKHOLDT, VANANROOY, TAMKEI, WERMER-COLAN
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 6/26/2018 at 14:43:00
John O. Glesne, age 90, of Decorah, IA, died Saturday morning, June 16, 2018 at Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah.
Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 23, 2018 at First Lutheran Church in Decorah, with Rev. Chad Huebner officiating. Private Family Inurnment will be in Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah.
Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, one hour before the service, at First Lutheran Church.
John Oscar Glesne was born on December 3, 1927 on the family farm at St. Olaf, Iowa to Oscar and Josephine (Lee) Glesne. He was baptized and confirmed at Norway Lutheran Church, St. Olaf. He attended the Glesne School for the elementary grades and graduated from Elkader High School with the class of 1945. He attended the University of Iowa for one semester. John enlisted in the U.S. Navy January 1946 and was discharged December 1947. While in the U.S. Navy and stationed on Saipan, John played baseball. He completed his college studies at Luther College graduating in 1951. At Luther John was a catcher on the baseball team
On July 14, 1950, John was united in marriage to Ann Stokke at Glenwood Lutheran Church. They eloped! John was a Social Studies/History teacher and coach in Glenwood, Minnesota for two years, where he also played Summer League Baseball. For ten years he was a teacher/coach in Harmony, Minnesota. John then sold insurance in Decorah for Lutheran Brotherhood, Horace Mann and American Family. He retired from American Family in 1990. After retirement he worked for the NE Iowa Agency on Aging delivering congregate meals. He enjoyed playing golf and following the St. Louis Cardinals. John made the best pies and was an expert at making Lefse. He was interviewed and appeared in the book- The Last Word on Lefse by Gary Legwold. John was a member of First Lutheran Church, a past member of Silvercrest Golf & Country Club, and a volunteer at the Decorah Public Library.
John is survived by his wife, Ann and his four daughters: Susan (Mark) Nielsen of Sioux City, Iowa, Paula Glesne (Bruce Smith) of Bend, OR, Kristin (Ed) Stracke of St. Cloud, MN and Mary (Randy) Brauns of Coralville, Iowa. Grandchildren: Nina (Erik) Bockholdt, Ingrid (Jon) vanAnrooy, Erin Glesne Smith (Lisette Tamkei), Caleb (Angie) Stracke, Jordan (Katie) Stracke, Maria Stracke (Alex Wermer-Colan), Emma Stracke, and Christian, Even and Rhys Brauns. Great Grandchildren: Thijs and Finn vanAnrooy, Grace and Benjamin Bockholdt, Graham and Bria Stracke and Benjamin and Keillor Stracke. John is also survived by one niece and two nephews.
John was preceded in death by his parents, his brother and wife, E. Lee and Mary Ann Glesne, and nephew John Glesne.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Decorah Community Food Pantry, P.O. Box 26, Decorah, IA 52101, or to your favorite organization.
Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database
Lutheran Decorah Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
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