Melvin Eveslage

Melvin N. "Bud" Eveslage, age 74 of Melrose, formerly of Cannon Falls, died Monday, June 30, 2014 due to complications of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) at the CentraCare Nursing Home in Melrose, Minnesota.

A celebration of Bud's life will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 3 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Freeport with Rev. Vince Lieser officiating and Rev. Ken Thielman concelebrating. Interment will be in the parish mausoleum.

Visitation will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday at the church.

Melvin Norbert Eveslage was born on September 10, 1939 in Freeport, Minnesota to Ferdinand and Loretta (Storkamp) Eveslage. He married Carol Ann (Barry) of Albert Lea and they later divorced. Bud moved away from Freeport shortly after high school to work at his uncle's farm in Rosemount. After his marriage, they settled on a small hobby farm in Cannon Falls, where he lived and worked for most of his life.

While there, Bud began his lifetime career in construction, eventually joining Opus Corporation as a bricklayer in 1979, working there for 22 years until retiring in 2001. Opus has a strong connection to the University of St. Thomas, and Bud was proud to have been a member of the crew that built many of the buildings on the St. Thomas campus.

When Bud wasn't working, you could find him with a fishing pole, a golf club or a guitar in his hands. But what brought him the most joy during his retirement was his ability to reconnect with farming, spending many a happy day driving tractor and helping Pam and Steve Herdering on the family farm. His tractor, the "Little Angel," is still at the farm and will carry on Bud's legacy there for years to come.

Bud is survived by his daughter, Tammy (Jeff) Nystuen of Ham Lake; two grandchildren, Nate and Ian Nystuen; five brothers and sisters, Leo Eveslage of Melrose, Carol (Tony) Niehaus of Melrose, John (Joyce) Eveslage of Freeport, and Mary Eveslage and Kathy Eveslage of Marshall.

He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Tina Eveslage; and sisters, Bernie Koetter and Elaine Hinnenkamp.

Cross bearer will be Ian Nystuen, with Grace Herdering serving as scripture bearer. Urn bearer will be Nate Nystuen and honorary bearers will be Leo Eveslage, John Eveslage, Steve Herdering, Matt Herdering, Luke Herdering, Mike Eveslage, Steve Eveslage and Brad Duellman.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to St. Cloud Hospital Hospice or CaringBridge.org.