Leo GARDALEN

GARDALEN, GAETZKE, JOHNSON, MONSON, ERICKSON, HARTKOPP, ANDERSON, MARTIN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 11/30/2006 at 11:19:48

Leo O. Gardalen, 81, of Clear Lake, died Monday, May 2, 2005 at Mercy Medical Center North Iowa, Mason City, Iowa. Funeral services will be held 1:30 p.m., Thursday, May 5, at Zion Lutheran Church, 112 N. 4th St., Clear Lake with the Rev. Dean Hess officiating. Interment will be at the Clear Lake Cemetery with Military Honors by the Clear Lake VFW. Visitation will be held 5 - 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 4, at the Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. 4th St. Clear Lake. Memorials may be made to the Leo O. Gardalen Memorial Fund. Leo was born Oct. 3, 1923 the son of Oliver and Anna (Anderson) Gardalen, in rural Dows, Iowa. Following graduation from Popejoy High School in 1941, Leo farmed with his family. Leo was united in marriage to Esther Martin, July 7, 1945 at the Little Brown Church at Nashua, Iowa. Leo served in the US Army in during WWII in the C.I.C. Following the service he returned to rural Dows and farmed the family farm. They moved to a farm south of Ventura in 1956 and farmed there for 22 years then moved to another farm north of Ventura. They retired in 1998 and moved to Clear Lake. Leo enjoyed being outdoors, gardening, doing yard work, his cats, fishing and going to coffee at the Lake Stop. Leo was a member of Zion Lutheran Church and the Clear Lake VFW.

Leo is survived by his wife, Esther Gardalen of Clear Lake; three children, Marlyn Gardalen and his wife, Mary, of Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Marlys Johnson of Northwood, Iowa and Marcia Monson of Clear Lake; two brothers, Harley Gardalen of Popejoy and Lloyd Gardalen and his wife, Leona, of Broomfield, Colo.; seven grandchildren, Ross and Ryan Gaetzke, Abby and Mark Gardalen, Jennifer Johnson, Cristina and Cortney Monson. Leo was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Selma Erickson and Edna Hartkopp; three brothers, Lester, Donald and Floyd Gardalen; granddaughter, Teresa Gardalen and son-in-law, Mark Monson.

Clear Lake Mirror Reporter [IA] copyright
4 May 2005