Arden ‘Arch’ Telgren - Brookings

May 18, 1930 – Sept. 26, 2017

Posted

Arden L. “Arch” Telgren, 87, of Brookings, died Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, at the Brookings hospital. 

Funeral services are at 10 a.m. Saturday at Rude’s Funeral Home in Brookings. Visitation is one hour prior to the service beginning at 9 a.m. Funeral services will also be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, at the Church of Christ in Oakdale, Nebraska, with burial to follow at Oakdale Cemetery.

Arden L. Telgren was born on May 18, 1930, in Oakdale, Nebraska, the first child of Joseph and Nina (Duncan) Telgren. He spent his early life in Oakdale, before his family moved to California where he attended school in Arcata, California and Whittier, California, before returning to Oakdale in 1946 and graduating from Oakdale High School in 1948. 

Arch then began his 20 year career with the U.S. Army, when he enlisted on June 16, 1948, and began basic training in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Arch married Yoshiko Tsuneto on April 8, 1955, in Yokohama, Japan. He served 11 years in Japan, where he served at General Headquarters and USA Medical Command-Japan. He also spent 18 months in Korea, 18 months at Army Language School, in Monterey California, where he learned to speak Japanese, and one year at US Army Headquarters in Vietnam at Long Binh. 

He retired from active duty on June 30, 1968. He returned to work at South Dakota State University with the ROTC. He continued to work with the ROTC until his retirement on Nov. 30, 1991, after 23 years. Throughout his career Arden was recognized with many honors, including the Bronze Star and numerous service badges and medals. During this time, he continued his education and received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia College, in Columbia, Missouri, in 1978.

 Arch was an avid bowler, twice winning the Curly Reiger Award from Brookings Bowling Association and was named to the Brookings Men’s Bowling Hall of Fame and the South Dakota Men’s Bowling Hall of Fame. He also founded the Eastern South Dakota Bowling League. He served as a coach and official for Little League Baseball, Little League and Pony League Basketball and Junior Bowling Program in Brookings.

He is survived by his wife and best friend of 62 years, Yoshiko Telgren, of Brookings; two children, Clifford Telgren of Brookings and Nancy (Greg) Telgren-Rodriguez, of Wisconsin; three granddaughters; two grandsons; six great-grandchildren; two brothers, Joseph (Lydia Mae) Telgren and David (Chung Mi) Telgren and one sister, Kimberly Wiseman.

 He is preceded in death by two brothers and their spouses, Randall (Jackie) and Paul (Vivian) and brother-in-law, Mike Wiseman.

 Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com.