Clifford T. Ogdahl

Clifford Ogdahl, age 99, of Glenwood, died Monday, August 21, 2023, at Glenwood Village Care Center. Visitation will be Sunday, August 27th, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home in Glenwood and will continue Monday, at the church, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 28th, at Glenwood Lutheran Church, with Rev. Krista Lee officiating. The service will also be live streamed on the church’s website: glenwoodlutheran.com. Interment will be in Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. Arrangements are with Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home of Glenwood.

Clifford Thinus Ogdahl was born at home in Glenwood Township, Pope County, Minnesota on November 4, 1923.  He was the youngest of eight children born to Anton and Theoline “Tillie” (Dalager) Ogdahl. Cliff grew up on the family farm south of Glenwood. He and his family were members of Barsness Lutheran Church, where he was baptized and confirmed. After completing country school, Cliff helped his dad and brothers farm until he entered the United States Army on November 21, 1942. He served his country during World War II in New Guinea and the Philippines. He was honorably discharged on January 8, 1946.

After his military service, Clifford moved back to the Glenwood area where he farmed and met Mildred “Millie” Torkelson. The two were married on January 11, 1947 in the Barsness Lutheran Church Parsonage. The couple made their home on a farm near Glenwood and were blessed with three boys, Raymond, Dale and Dean, and a daughter, Shelly, who died in infancy. Clifford continued to farm until 1957, when they moved into Glenwood and he started working construction for his brother, Lester. A few years later, he joined the IUOE Local 49 union and went to work operating heavy equipment all over the Midwest as a “49er” for over 20 years. In the 1980, Cliff retired from construction and started helping Greg Noland farm, along with becoming the sexton of Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. He took great pride in taking care of the cemetery, spending hours mowing, trimming, and making sure everything was just right. Eventually, he also began to help work funerals for the Hoplin Funeral Home, and later the Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home, where he continued to help serve families until his retirement in 2017, at the age of 93. Clifford was a hardworking, dedicated, conscientious and beloved employee and an even better friend.

When Clifford was younger, he and Millie enjoyed dancing, playing cards, traveling, and spending time with friends. They were longtime faithful members of Glenwood Lutheran Church, where Clifford was active as an usher for close to 50 years.

Clifford and Millie shared 71 years of marriage before Millie’s death on December 30, 2018. After Millie died, Clifford found a deep and fulfilling friendship with Doris “Dorie” Morris, whose husband had died around the same time as Millie. With Clifford’s eyesight failing, Dorie happily chauffeured the two of them for outings to restaurants, visits with family, and to all sorts of local events. Cliff loved it when Dorie would read books aloud to him and they also enjoyed listening to music when they were together. Dorie and her children were a delightful blessing to Cliff, and his family is ever so grateful for their friendship. They are also extremely grateful for the assistance of Daryl Klous, the director at Ridgewood Villa where Cliff had lived since 2018, Margaret Gylsen, Cliff’s longtime friend and bookkeeper, and Tracy Ogdahl, granddaughter by marriage, who grocery shopped and saw to it that Cliff’s day-to-day needs were met. Because of these folks, and many others, Cliff was able to live independently for all but the last two weeks of his life.

Clifford was a people person and had a happy and pleasant disposition. He could enter a crowded room of strangers and leave with friends. He had many people that he loved to visit with on his regular walks, including his friend Bobby at the liquor store and his friend Linda at Trumm Drug. Up until the last year, Cliff enjoyed daily walks around Glenwood, often covering as much as two miles in a day.

Later in life, Cliff discovered his talent for wood carving. To hone his craft, he purchased dental tools from a retired dentist which enabled him to do intricate and detailed work. He loved to share his wooden creations with others, especially his signature wooden mice, which can still be found around town perched on top of computer screens and ledges. If he heard someone was traveling to another state or country, he made sure to send along a mouse for them to gift to someone at their destination. His largest piece of work was a replica of the Budweiser Clydesdale horse team and carriage.

Clifford especially loved spending time with his family. He will be remembered for getting down on the floor to play with a special box of toys he kept at his house for all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Clifford died on August 21, 2023, at Glenwood Village Care Center, under the care of Glacial Ridge Hospice, having lived to the age of 99 years. He will be dearly missed.

Clifford is survived by his two sons, Raymond of Milbank, SD, and Dean of Sandstone; grandchildren, Mark (Crystle  Gehring) Ogdahl, Greg (Robyn) Ogdahl, Rebecca (Jeffrey) Schuurmans, Michelle (Jamie) Pullman, Matt (Tonya) Ogdahl, Steve (Samantha Ross) Ogdahl, Scott (Tracy) Ogdahl, Nolan Ogdahl and Autumn Ogdahl; great-grandchildren, Taylor (Travis), Brady, Madyson (Tommy), Samantha, Jenna (Matthew), Jesse (Melanie), Carter, Nick, Danielle, Alyssa, Kenzie, Mataya, Jake, Henley, Irelynne, Dylan, Dru, Bentley, Jacee; 11 great-great grandchildren; sister-in-law, Eleanor Ogdahl; as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mildred Ogdahl; son and daughter-in-law, Dale and Judith Ogdahl; infant daughter, Shelly Ogdahl; siblings: Lester Ogdahl, Gladys Helling, Norma Johnson, Thelma Orin, Abner Ogdahl, Julian Ogdahl and Ernest Ogdahl in infancy.

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