Edward Elin COLNES

COLNES, JACOBSEN, RICHARDS, HALFPOP, LANG, LERANG, VIK, OTTEROEN, REINHARDT, TORKELSON

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 7/7/2010 at 10:24:03

DOWS, Ia - Eddie Colnes, 97, of Dows died Monday (July 5, 2010) at Mary Greely Medical Center in Ames. Funeral services for Eddie Colnes will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 8, at First Lutheran Church in Dows with Pastor David Anderson officiating. Burial will take place in the Fairview Cemetery in Dows. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Dugger Funeral Home, 100 N. Lee St. in Dows, and continue one hour prior to services Thursday at the church. Dugger Funeral Home,

Mason City Globe Gazette - Iowa
July 7, 2010

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July 13, 2010
Belmond Independent, Iowa

Edward "Eddie" Colnes, 97, Dows, died July 5, 2010 at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames. Services were held July 8 at First Lutheran Church in Dows. Burial was in Fairview Cemetery in Dows.

Edward Elin was born in Randaberg, Norway on September 17, 1912 to Marcelius and Emma Torkelson Kolnes. He was baptized and confirmed at the Randaberg Lutheran Church and was a member of the First Lutheran Church of Dows. Eddie immigrated to Garden City, IA on February 27, 1929 and became a U.S. citizen on December 23, 1940. During the depression years, Edward helped various farmers in the Williams-Blairsburg area, as well as working in a Chicago factory. Eddie married Emma Reinhardt of Des Moines on December 30, 1937. They were farm laborers in Blairsburg where their oldest daughter Carolyn was born. They moved to Galt in 1943 where he started farming for himself and his youngest daughter Cathleen was born. Eddie lived in the Dows and Galt area for 66 years. Eddie was always a farmer, even after retiring in 1980. He loved his gardens and flowers and was very particular how the rows were spaced -- especially no weeds.
In retirement Eddie helped in restoring the Dows Depot and enjoyed volunteering at the Welcome Center for many years. He also enjoyed playing his accordion, organ, and loved to sing. For many years he sang Norwegian hymns at the church on Easter and Christmas, and he transcribed Norwegian for many people. Edward was proud of his Norwegian heritage which he shared with his family, especially on Christmas Eve, with a special fish, lefse and rice dinner, after which he would pass out oranges and apples like he received in Norway as a boy. He always enjoyed returning to Norway to visit and having relatives from there visit him. Eddie loved the Cubs and Hawkeyes. He was a devoted husband and father, and loved his family and spending time with them.

Eddie was preceded in death by his brothers Karsten, Henrik and Marthon; sisters Mary, Bertha and Borgny, all of Norway; and Esther of Kansas. Eddie is survived by his wife Emma; daughters Carolyn (Doug) Jacobsen of Dows and Cathleen (Robert) Richards of Polk City; grandchildren Julie (Cary) Halfpop, Janelle Jacobsen, Corey (Kim) Jacobsen and Jennifer (Chris) Lang; great grandchildren Trey, Brady and Kelby Halfpop, and Benjamin, Matthew and Caleb Jacobsen; brother Elmer (Deloros) Kolnes of Des Moines; sisters Agnes Vik, Emma Lerang and Gudren Otteroen all of Norway.