Cover photo for Donald Horning's Obituary
Donald Horning Profile Photo
1929 Donald 2017

Donald Horning

May 17, 1929 — July 21, 2017

Funeral services for Donald Horning of Herman, Minnesota will be Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at Bethel Lutheran Church in Herman, MN, with Reverend Jerry Lanes officiating. Visitation will be Wednesday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Pedersen Funeral Home in Morris, MN and for one hour prior to services at the church on Thursday. Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery in Herman.

Donald Jerome Horning was born on May 17, 1929 to Orville and Lillian (Berg) Horning in Appleton, MN. “Donnie” grew up on the family farm north of Chokio. After attending country school and graduating from Chokio High School in 1948, he took a welding course and then helped on the farm. From 1952-1954, Don served in the army (101st Airborne Division-“Screaming Eagles”) in the Aerial Photo Reconnaissance Interpretation Unit, part of the O.S.S. (now part of the C.I.A.). After army life, he took a course in general mechanics at NDSU.

While working as a welder in Minneapolis in the winter of 1954-55, he met a pretty nurse named Marilyn Carlson. They were married on December 8, 1956 in Loveland, CO. They made their home on the farm south of Herman, where he built the house for himself and his growing family. He and Marilyn raised five children: David, Karen, Robert, Paul, and Lisa (Andrea). Over the years, Don did both livestock and crop farming, working alongside his brothers. During his lifetime, he was an active member and board member of Bethel Lutheran Church, Stevens County NFO, and the Eldorado Township Board. Together they enjoyed traveling to Colorado, Montana, Sweden, Norway, and Korea. They generously supported worthy causes. Marilyn died in 2006. He continued to farm until 2015.

Don will be remembered for his quiet demeanor, enjoyment of meals served hot and on time (with pie as dessert!), working on the daily crossword puzzle, and never going anywhere without a cap on his head and a pen in his pocket. He loved to tinker, collect old tools, build model airplanes, and fix things rather than replacing them.

In February 2017, Don moved to Edgewood Vista Assisted Living in Alexandria. Hospice of Douglas County also later provided care. Don died peacefully on July 21, 2017 at the age of 88 after battling skin cancer.

He is survived by his children: David (Ardy) of Herman; Karen (Mark) Graf of Alexandria; Robert (Mary) of Savage; Paul (Deann) of Clancy, MT; Andrea Tso of Olympia, WA, 13 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren; brothers Roger, Wally (Peggy), Ted (Adrienne) and Curt (Janna); sisters Marilyn (Bob) Trost, Sharon (Don) Sundquist, and Judy (Ken) Rethmeier; brother-in-law Gene (Natalie) Simpson; sister-in-law Linda Carlson; daughter-in-law Luanne Horning; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Marilyn; sister Dorothy Simpson; sisters-in-law Nancy Horning and Audrey Carlson; and brothers-in-law Lloyd Carlson and Jon Carlson.

Memorials may be directed to the Honor Flight Network https://www.honorflight.org or the Herman American Legion Post 378.

Pedersen Funeral Home in Morris is in charge of the arrangements.




Donald's Memorial Folder









To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Donald Horning, please visit our flower store.

Guestbook

Visits: 40

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree