Earl E. Knutson

Earl Knutson, age 92 of rural Glenwood, died peacefully on Sunday, February 03, 2019, at his daughter’s home in Lowry, MN, under the care of his family and Glacial Ridge Hospice. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at Chippewa Falls Lutheran Church in Terrace with Vicar Brenda Boogren officiating. Visitation will be on Monday, February 11th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the funeral home in Glenwood and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Inurnment will be in the church cemetery at a later date.  Arrangements are with Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home of Glenwood.

Earl Knutson, son of Eddie and Emma (Overbo) Knutson, was born April 18th 1926 in rural Murdock, MN. The family later moved to the Brooten area and then Belgrade area. He was baptized in the Lutheran faith and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooten, MN.  He attended country school and 2 years of high school at the Morris Ag School. This school was self-supporting where they did regular farming and had large gardens and all the students worked in exchange for their education. At age 18, he was drafted into WW2 and was stationed in Japan- MP Sergeant - (Military Police). After his discharge he worked at different jobs in CA, MT, and MN. 

Earl was united in marriage to Lorraine Waale on July 7, 1950 at Webster, S.D. They lived in Minneapolis. They had 5 children. In 1951, he went to T.V. and Radio school and worked part time at Superior Plating and Paint Shop. He serviced T.V.s for one year and then worked full time at Superior Plating. He later joined Local 7 Carpenter’s Union in Anoka and worked for Orrin Thompson Home Builders and also Vern Donay Home Builders. He bought land in Coon Rapids and built a house they moved into, and then built a second house next to it. In 1961, they bought a resort in Northome, MN. His wife and family helped run the resort while he kept building homes in the area. He spent considerable time in Alaska working in a copper mine at McCarthy in 1965. He moved the family to Chitna, Alaska for one school year 1965-1966. During this time he had a trapline and also hunted wolves with his brother Howard. He worked 3 seasons doing commercial salmon fishing out of Cordova and Naknek, AK with his son Tom. He worked 2 years on the Alaskan Pipeline in the mid-70s. They sold the resort in 1971, after the commercial Salmon season was over in July and rented a home for a few months, until he built a home south of Northome.

Earl was a member of Chippewa Falls Lutheran Church in Terrace. He was a lifetime member of the NRA and lifetime member of the Belgrade VFW Post #1825.

He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He got a trophy bison in AK in 1965 that was number 1 in the Alaska Big Game Trophy Club and number 11 in Boone & Crocket record book. He hunted deer almost every year, and trapped many black bear. He also hunted moose in Canada, and caribou in AK.  He guided moose hunters a few years in Canada. He got a 63lb King Salmon in AK and an 84.5lb Catfish in TX; besides fishing in MN whenever he had time.  In 1978, they moved to a farm near Terrace, MN while he continued to do carpenter work. In 1980, they bought a lot in Groveton, TX and hauled 3 mobile homes from MN to TX. Lived in one in the winters and rented the other 2. Later he built a house in Groveton and still later built a house in Lufkin ,TX. They spent 25 winters in Texas. He worked for Opus carpentry for 5 years until he retired in 1991. Earl and Lorraine moved into the Ridgewood Villa in Glenwood in Oct. 2016. He spent 2 days in the hospital and then transferred to the Glenwood Nursing Home March 1st 2018 to October 31st 2018, when he moved in with his daughter Kathy, until he died Feb. 3rd 2019. He suffered with Parkinson’s disease for about 15 years.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Lorraine of Glenwood; 5 children: Jane (Ken) Kupcho of  Ramsey, Tom (Marcia) Knutson of Anoka, Kathy Swartz (Paul Bartos) Lowry, Brenda (Joe) Gosline of Glenwood, Julie (Jim) Wendt of Glenwood; one brother, Howard (Paulette) Knutson of Fresno, CA; 13 Grandchildren, and 17 Great Grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother LeRoy Knutson, and sisters Verna Swenson, and Harriette Peterson.

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