Memorial services for Earl L. Klinger will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2015 at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Richland, MN. Reverend Scott Williams will officiate. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at church. Interment will be in St. Peter's Cemetery in rural New Richland.
Earl L. Klinger, of Ellendale, MN, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He was 81 years old. Earl was born on October 11, 1933 to Elsie (Kroeger) and Lorenz Klinger in Otisco, MN. He attended a rural elementary school and went to high school in New Richland. Earl has lived in the New Richland and Ellendale area his whole life.
On November 13, 1953, Earl married the love of his life, Janis Nesdahl, at Pontoppidan Lutheran Church in rural Ellendale. They have been longtime members at St. Peter Lutheran Church in New Richland and briefly belonged to First Lutheran Church in Ellendale as well.
Earl has held jobs at Owatonna Scrap Iron, Blount, Trails Travel Center, Geneva Liquor, and owned a restaurant in Ellendale. He was a member of the church council as well as the Lions Club and Eagles Club.
In his free time, Earl enjoyed tinkering with his tools to create one-of-a-kind machines and fixing up anything with a motor. He was a creative, intelligent man. Earl enjoyed bowling, golfing, and playing with animals, especially his cat Janie.Earl will be dearly missed by his wife, Janis; daughters, Barbara Klinger of Owatonna, MN and Cynthia Olson (Tom) of Ellendale, MN; grandchildren, Brian Olson of Rochester, MN and Gena Olson of Los Angeles, CA; sister, Helen Baker of Albert Lea; sisters-in-law, Karen Krause, Anita Francisco, Shirley Nesdahl, Roberta Nesdahl, Linda Caron, Bonita Nesdahl; brothers-in-law, Orlo Krause, William Francisco, Greg Caron, and Duane Nesdahl; as well as many other nieces and nephews.
Earl is preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Simon and Lola Nesdahl; brothers-in-law, Loren Baker, Jerald Nesdahl, Curtis Nesdahl, and Dennis Nesdahl.