Donald Budahl Canby, Minn.

March 4, 1930 – Feb. 24, 2017

Posted

onald Budahl, 86, of Canby, Minn. died on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 at Sunset Assisted Living in Canby, Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Canby. Burial will be at St. Stephen’s Cemetery. Visitation was 5 – 7 p.m. Monday, February 27 at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church with a 7 p.m. prayer service. Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel, Canby is entrusted with arrangements. 

Donald Edward Budahl was born March 4, 1930 to Leonard and Ella (Hawley) Budahl at Scandinavia Township, rural Astoria. He was baptized April 6, 1930 at Wood Lake Lutheran Church, Astoria. He attended and graduated school at Astoria and went on to attend General Beadle College at Madison. Upon graduation, he taught country school before being drafted to serve in Okinawa during the Korean War. Upon returning, he joined the Astoria American Legion of which he was a proud member for 64 years. Donald married Kathryn Kamrath on September 4, 1955 at Zacchaeus Lutheran Church, Canby, Minn.. They lived in Clear Lake for two years while he worked at the Deuel County Courthouse. He learned to read, write and speak Norwegian by reading to his grandma, which inspired him to become a charter member of the Sons of Norway Vennskap Lodge #554 since 1976.

In 1957, they moved to the farm in Norman Township, rural Canby, where he lived until the time of his death. They were members of Wood Lake Lutheran Church until 1968 when they transferred membership to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Canby, Minn. Don served various roles in the church, including caretaking of seven OSL cemeteries for 40 years and he was the “Roast Beef and Gravy Man” for the YMC fair for 30 plus years. He was also a township assessor for Yellow Medicine County for over 40 years and he served on the election board for 40 years.

He loved to attend the many events of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Don was a caretaker of the land on his farm. He took pride in the crops that were grown and livestock that he tended. He valued the many friendships that he acquired and was proud of the community he lived in.

He enjoyed his farming life, cooking and baking - especially meat, gravy, lefse, rosettes, chocolate chip cookies, and chili.  He enjoyed playing Bingo, trips to the casino, playing a game of cards and treasured times with family and friends. Don died on Feb. 24, 2017 at Sunset Assisted Living in Canby, the age of 86 years, 11 months and 21 days.

Don is survived by his four daughters: Sharon (Wayne) Budahl Avery, Brookings, Nona (Don) Verschelde, Porter, Minn., Lois (Loren) Mathews, Silver Lake, Minn., and Marcy (Mike) Plucker, Maplewood, Minn.; seven grandchildren: Kelly (Adam) Stoks, Laura (Jeremy) Stoks, Megan (Marty) Syltie, Craig Mathews, Mark Mathews, Amanda Plucker and Nicholas Plucker; seven great-grandchildren: Blake and Natalie Stoks; Claire, Brett and Hanna Stoks, Colton and Cade Syltie; brothers: Elton (Beverly) Budahl, Loren (Deanna) Budahl; sisters-in-law: Helen Budahl, Lorraine Kamrath and June Kallhoff.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Kathryn; parents, Leonard and Ella; brothers: Leland (Shirley) Budahl, Glen Budahl, Carol Budahl; sisters: Mavis Budahl, Lucille (Ralph) Decker; in-laws: Louise (Harold) Panning, Paul (Verna) Kamrath, Robert Kallhoff, George Kamrath and Lawrence Kamrath.