Delmer Edward GONDER

GONDER, BURCHFIELD, JOHNSON, PERLI

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/3/2007 at 11:17:44

Delmer Edward Gonder was born on June 30, 1935 in Thor, Iowa, the son of Delmer Luverne and Laura Inez (Burchfield) Gonder. He graduated from Eagle Grove High School. On Sept. 11, 1954, he was united in marriage to Janet Johnson in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The couple moved to a farm place north of Thor where they raised their two children, Lou and Larry. They moved to East Lake Okoboji in 1976 before moving to their home on Little Spirit Lake in 1994. Delmer worked as a heavy equipment operator in the construction business. He also had a construction business with his dad, was a fireman, owned a mink farm, invested, improved and resold farm ground and worked as a real estate broker. More than anything he loved spending time with his family and friends at their lake home. All of this said . . . his passion was fishing. He has fished the area lakes all his life making occasional trips to other locations such as the Missouri River and Lake Michigan. Delmer passed away on Friday, April 20, 2007 at his home on Little Spirit Lake after a nine month battle with heart disease and cancer. He was seventy-one years of age.

He is survived by his wife, Janet; daughter, Lou and Rod Perli of Pipestone, Minn.; son, Larry and Kelly Gonder of Humboldt, Iowa; seven grandchildren; two grandsons-in-law; five great-grandchildren; two expectant great-grandchildren; also some very special fishing buddies. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister.

Fort Dodge Messenger
4/26/2007