George Rysdahl

CARVER–George Rysdahl, of Carver, Minnesota died October 4, 2023, at the Carver Ridge Senior Living at the age of 90. He was surrounded and visited by his children and grandchildren in his last days. His daughters Lynnette and Stefanie were with him when he passed.

George was born in Clarkfield, Minnesota on February 3, 1933. He grew up on a farm a few miles south of town until he graduated from high school. He attended Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis to study carpentry. He was drafted into the Army in March 1953 before he completed his coursework, and he served two years during the Korean War.

He married Marjorie Knutson on April 16th, 1955. After four years in Duluth, Minnesota, George and Marjorie moved their family back to his hometown of Clarkfield where they raised their children and built a small construction company.

George loved living in Clarkfield and was an active community member. He was a long-time member of Clarkfield Lutheran Church where he sang in the choir for years and served on several church committees. He was an active member of the Clarkfield Lion’s Club for decades and devoted many hours to helping raise funds for people in need in the community.

He loved gardening and earned the Master Gardener certificate from the University of Minnesota. He shared his joy of gardening by inviting others in the community to grow gardens on his property. He did this out of generosity, but it also gave him more reason to play on his tractor. George used his tractor to renovate softball fields and people’s yards, remove yard debris for neighbors, smooth area roads, and plow snow.

George and Marjorie were inaugural members of the Yellow Medicine County Circle Sentencing restorative justice program. Both took great pride in the group’s efforts to help school aged offenders understand what harm they had caused and help restore and guide them to better lives.

George and Marjorie were married for 61 years. After they sold their business and he retired they traveled throughout the nation with an RV. After Marjorie suffered from a traumatic brain injury from a fall, George devoted his life to caring for his best friend and partner who died in 2016. He missed her the rest of his life.

Eventually the years of hard construction work caught up with George and his mobility was restricted. He left Clarkfield in December 2022 and moved to Carver, MN to be closer to his children. He quickly became loved by many in his new home at the Carver Ridge Senior Living facility. His family is grateful for the staff at Carver Ridge and Grace Hospice for all the work they did to make his final months comfortable.

George was one of eight children: Alton, Donald, Janice, Loretta, Dorothy, and twins Stanley and Sherwood born to the late Judith and Lewis Rysdahl; the father of six children: Scott (Gigi), Lesley, Lynnette (John), Kevin (Julie), Kelvin (Kirsten), and Stefanie (Joel).

Surviving along with his sisters, and children are his fifteen grandchildren; David (Zazie), Gabriel, Isaac (Anne), Kaye, Cassandra, Joseph (Sydney), Jennifer, Luke, Grace, Ryan, Leanna (Michael), Annika (Jaksa), Sidney, Tessa, and Bryson, and one great-grandchild; Jack.

George is preceded in death by his wife Marjorie; daughter, Lesley; siblings, Alton, Donald, Stanley, Sherwood; and mother and father, Judith and Lewis Rysdahl.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 11th, at 11 a.m. at Clarkfield Lutheran Church with visitation at 10 a.m. at the church. Interment will be in the church cemetery, followed by a celebration of life and time of memory sharing that will be broadcast via zoom in the fellowship hall at Clarkfield Lutheran.

In lieu of gifts and flowers, the family ask that donations be made to the Clarkfield Lutheran Church Cemetery Fund, Clarkfield Lions Club, or other Clarkfield service organizations. Arrangements with the

J.H. Lynner Funeral Home in Clarkfield www.jhlynner.com