AMUNDSON, Lester I. 1924-2008

AMUNDSON

Posted By: K. Kittleson
Date: 12/31/2008 at 11:30:34

NORTHWOOD, IOWA - Lester Idell Amundson, 84, of Northwood, died on Monday, December 29, 2008, at the Lutheran Retirement Home in Northwood, Worth county, Iowa.

A celebration honoring Lester's life will be held on January 2, 2009, at the Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, Northwood, with the Rev. Karl Hermanson officiating. He will be laid to rest following the celebration at Center Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Lake Mills, the church where he and Avis were married.

Lester was born on June 11, 1924, to Lars and Ida Sophie (Ramsey) Amundson at his parents' home in rural Joice, Worth county, Iowa. He attended rural schools, graduating from Lake Mills High School in 1942.

Lester married his high school sweetheart, Avis Elaine Branstad, on June 21, 1945. Lester had three careers. He and Avis farmed near Leland and later near Lake Mills. Later he moved to Northwood, where he was a State Farm Insurance agent for 25 years and a mail carrier for 29 years, retiring on December 31, 2000.

He served his church by holding offices at First Shell Rock Lutheran Church in Northwood and proudly served on committees for the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. For many years, he was a member of the Northwood Jaycees and Lions Club and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, which honored him with induction in the NRA Legion of Honor in 2004.

Lester and Avis shared outdoor hobbies and other interests their entire married lives. They enjoyed fishing and ice fishing, boating, hunting, golfing, riding motorcycles, playing blackjack at Mystic Casino and home improvement projects (there were none he couldn't do). His life was enriched by sharing these activities with his wife, children, grandchildren, relatives and friends.

Lester is survived by his wife, Avis; daughters, Karen (Lynn) Watney, of Lawrence, Kansas, and Mary (Brent) Brunsting, of Mason City; granddaughter, Chris Watney of Denver, Colorado, and grandson, Chase Johnson of Ames; step-granddaughter, Shara (John) Klesath, of Mason City; and nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and six sisters, Orlette (Melvin) Florentz, of Mason City; Ila (Cornell) Knutson, of Northwood; Iva and Joy in early childhood; and two sisters in infancy.

Arrangements are by Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, 641-324-1121.

[Original obituary web-published in the Mason City Globe Gazette online - 12/31/2008 - www.globegazette.com ]