George Wendell Gunderson

George Wendell Gunderson, age 87, of Litchfield, MN died Friday, January 13, 2012 at the Ecumen Emmanuel Home in Litchfield, MN. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield, with Pastor Harvey Nelson and Pastor Christian Muellerleile officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM on Tuesday at Zion Lutheran Church and will continue one hour prior to the service on Wednesday. Interment will be at Lake Ripley Cemetery in Litchfield. Military Honors will be provided by the Litchfield Military Honor Guard. George Wendell Gunderson, the son of George Ben and Marie (Erickson) Gunderson was born on June 24, 1924 in Kandiyohi County, MN. He attended and graduated from Litchfield High School in 1942. He served in the US Army for 27 months where he was stationed in the Philippine Islands. Shortly after the war, George returned home and met a young schoolteacher, Dorothy Krause. They were married in Buffalo, MN on August 17, 1947. The couple was blessed with three children and 64 years of marriage. George was a truck driver for First District for 31 years and also a substitute bus driver for Hicks Bus Lines. George was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church, OWLS, the Sons of Norway, and several camping clubs. He was also a lifetime member of both the Litchfield V.F.W. and the Forest City Threshers. He enjoyed square dancing, bowling, traveling, camping and retirement life in Arizona and Texas. George loved spending time with family, especially his children and grandchildren. He will be remembered as a city boy who loved the farm life and enjoyed being able to work with many Litchfield area farmers. He is survived by his wife Dorothy of Litchfield, MN; children, David (Beckie) Gunderson of Litchfield, Steven (Jody) Gunderson of Shakopee, MN and Nancy (John) Hafner of Willmar, MN; 6 grandchildren Chelsie, Josh, Tony, Dylan, Jenna and Matthew; 4 step-grandchildren, Jake, Adam, Luke (Kim) and Crystal; sisters, Marilyn Judd of Litchfield, MN and Marcelyn(Donald) Radunz of Hutchinson, MN; and a brother-in-law Willard Franz of Mountain Lake, MN. He was preceded in death by his parents George and Marie; sister Marlys Franz and several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.Previous Events Visitation Tuesday, January 17, 2012 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Zion Lutheran Church 504 North Gilman Avenue Litchfield, MN 55355 Visitation Wednesday, January 18, 2012 11:00 AM Zion Lutheran Church 504 North Gilman Avenue Litchfield, MN 55355