Allan Leroy Engelstad, 82, of Maple Lake, near Mentor, MN passed away on Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND surrounded by family.
Allan was born on October 27, 1939 in Liberty Township, just northwest of Fertile, Minnesota. He was the oldest son of Eldon and Burnice (Berhow) Engelstad. He grew up on the farm, the site of many lessons learned with his younger brothers Kelly and Mark, and the setting for countless future stories told to his grandkids – most of them were even true. A proud and active youth at Varnes Lutheran Church, Allan was confirmed there in 1955. He was an advocate for the relocation and preservation of Varnes at the fairgrounds, and proudly gave the annual tour of the small country church to our family each summer.
Upon graduation from Fertile High School in 1957, Allan took an apprenticeship as an electrician. His first job was the new grain elevator in Ulen, Minnesota, and subsequently headed west. He spent the next few years traveling Western North Dakota and Montana, working on grain elevators and commercial construction projects, earning “a real world education”, as he would say. It was quite an adventure for a farm kid from Fertile, and was an experience he would always remember fondly. Allan’s father Eldon passed away after his senior year of high school, and his work out west was key to supporting the family and farm back home. In 1962, he moved back to Fertile, and began working as an electrician in the area. In the fall of 1962, he began serving in the Air National Guard in Fargo, ND. He took great pride in his service, which continued for 6 years until his discharge in the fall of 1968.
On a fateful fall day in 1963 at the café in Fertile, he met a young woman named Sharon Lundby, who worked at the bank next door. The two began “going steady”, and were married on October 17, 1964 at Little Norway Church. After living in town for a couple of years, Allan and Sharon made the move to Maple Lake in fall of 1968. He loved to tell about how people said “they’d never see us again”, and he had to convince the township to plow the road out to their house in the winter. Allan was a loving and devoted husband, and made Sharon laugh every day they were together. The small house they shared at 2408 Maple Bay would become the centerpiece of their lives together – not the physical building, but the place of community and togetherness that their family enjoys to this day.
Their daughter Denise arrived on July 2, 1967, and son Ross followed on April 22, 1974. Allan loved his kids with all his heart – he supported them in their schooling and activities, taught them how to do the right thing, and pulled them skiing up and down Maple Lake a million and one times. He continued to work as an electrician in the Fertile area, retiring after 50 years. His expertise extended far beyond wiring and circuits, as there wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix, repair, or get running. He was always willing to share his knowledge and capability, and even more so enjoyed teaching others. Allan was everyone’s first call, and he always answered with a smile. In all of his years of retirement, he always had a project – whether it was his own or a family member’s.
Allan enjoyed life at the lake, but most loved his family spending time there – especially as the grandkids came along. He was known to say that “if he knew how fun grandkids were, he would have had those first”. Watching his six grandkids grow up brought him incredible joy and pride, attending their activities and spending time with them at the lake. His favorite days were spent sitting in the red swing, an ice-cold Coke in hand, watching his family enjoy the lake.
There is an old saying: “Share the good news of the Lord, and if necessary, use words”. This mantra was an embodiment of how Allan lived his life, with kindness towards everyone he met. He found the joy in every moment, and through countless stories and jokes he ensured everyone around him did as well. He was a neighbor to everyone, and he loved his neighbor as he did himself. He was a shining example of prioritizing what truly matters in life – faith and family. He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, joy, stories, and laughs that we all will remember for generations.
Allan is survived by Sharon, his loving wife of 57 years, and their two kids: Denise (Tom) Eide of Fargo, ND and Ross (Kirsten) Engelstad of Ada, MN. He is survived by six grandchildren: Kayla (Matt) Stanga of West Fargo, ND, Nels (Becca) Eide of Fertile, MN, Bjorn Eide of Fargo, ND, and Grace, Brielle, and Tanner Engelstad of Ada. He is also survived by his two beloved great grandchildren: Isaac and Brooklyn Stanga. He is survived by his youngest brother Mark (Linda) Engelstad, and his sisters-in-law: Becky (Dave) Hunter, Barb Brosowske, and Nancy Dahl, as well as numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces.
Allan is preceded in death by his parents, Eldon and Burnice Engelstad, his brother and sister-in-law Kelly and Diane Engelstad, nephew Brian Engelstad, and his father and mother-in-law Paul and Harriet Lundby.
Funeral Service: 1:30 PM, Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at Little Norway Lutheran Church, Rural Fertile, MN.
Visitation: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM, Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at the church.
Interment: Little Norway Lutheran Cemetery, Rural Fertile, MN.
