Kenneth Ethun

Kenneth K. "Kenny" Ethun, 83, of Sauk Centre passed away July 21, 2005 at the Pine Have Care Center in Melrose, Minnesota.

Memorial services will be held 11 a.m., Saturday, July 23, 2005 at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre. Inurnment will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Sauk Centre with military honors by the United Veteran of Sauk Centre Honor Guard.

Friends may call Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre.

Kenneth K. Ethun was born August 6, 1921 in New Brighton, Minnesota to Albert and Clara (Monson) Ethun. He married Mildred "Millie" Doege on November 22, 1947 at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Sauk Centre. He was a veteran spending one year and three months in the 217 Coast Artillery Minnesota National Guard Unit from Sauk Centre. He left in 1941 with the Unit. The next four years and nine months he was in the U.S. Army working in the message center and in the Air Corps. In the Air Corps. he became Crew Chief in charge of the B-29's in flying condition by performing maintenance inspections and filling out the report forms on each plane. He was discharged on November 1945. Kenny is a 60 years member of the American Legion Post 67 of Sauk Centre, MN. He was employed by the Sauk Centre Machine Shop where he learned the machining trade under the G.I. Bill.

Kenny and Millie moved to Bloomington in 1951 where he did his machining trade. He made the first heart valves for the University of Minnesota. He also made parts for automatic pilots, all sorts of space flying objects, shuttles, and even the first grocery store checkout scanners.

Kenny and Millie owned and operated a resort on Lake Ida in Alexandria for 10 years. While they were in Alexandria he worked for Alexandria Extrusion retiring in 1983. In May of 1999 they moved back home to Sauk Centre.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Millie of Sauk Centre; one sister, Meryl (LaVerne) Murphy of Umpqua, Oregon; three sons, Denny Ethun of Bloomington, Donny (Jody) Ethun of East Bethel, Dean (Sharon) Ethun of Springdale, Washington; and 1 daughter, Dee Dee (Mark) Wilke of Big Lake, Minnesota; 6 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, 2 brothers, Lyle and Donny; and one sister Ileen Ziegler.

Urn bearer will be Mark J. Schmitz.