Paula Widstrom Hanson's Dad

Eugene Widstrom
Eugene A. Widstrom, 91, died on Friday, October 21, 2011 at Knute Nelson in Alexandria. A memorial mass was held on Saturday, October 29 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria with Father Steve Binsfeld officiating. Visitation was held on Friday, October 28 at Anderson Funeral Home.
Entombment will be in St. Mary’s Mausoleum. Honorary Pallbearers are Lyn, Jeff, Jason, Scott, Katie, Nicole, Ryan, Brock, Kyle, Andy, Naomi, Thomas, Tabitha, Christopher, Luke, Allie, and Bailey.
Eugene Allen Widstrom was born on August 23, 1920 in Minneapolis, the son of Joseph and Mae (Storberg) Widstrom. He was raised in SE Minneapolis and graduated from Marshall High School in 1938.
Eugene joined the Civilian Conservation Corps where he built roads and charted lakes near Ely. Gene joined the United States Army during WWII. He was stationed in Europe and worked as a supply sergeant.
Gene was united in marriage to Jean Clare Floerkey on June 5, 1943 at Incarnation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Together they had eight children: MaryClare, Ken, Paula, Beth, Denise, Stephen, Christopher, and Michele. Jean died in 1962.
On October 3, 1964 Gene was united in marriage to Dorothy (Dierkhising) Loeffler at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria. A son, Mark, was born to Gene and Dorothy in 1965. Gene worked for over 40 years as a hardware salesman for the George A. Clark and Son Company.
He then worked as a friendly “greeter” at Wal-Mart for almost 20 years. Gene was very active in St. Mary’s church and choir. He belonged to the Knights of Columbus for over 50 years and reached the 4th Degree in that organization. He also belonged to the American Legion and VFW. Gene always had a story to tell and enjoyed meeting with friends and playing cribbage and bridge.
He loved to play golf and was able to card two, hole-in-one shots on #13 at the Alexandria Golf Course. Gene spent much of his time woodworking and made jewelry boxes for his daughters and granddaughters.
Gene had a great sense of humor and a wonderful attitude toward life. Gene’s family always came first with him.
He is survived by children: Mark (Jennifer) Widstrom of Duluth, Michele Groves of Woodbury, Christopher (Sharon) Widstrom of St. Cloud, Denise (Rick) Barnaal of Kimberly, WI, Beth (Roger) Widstrom-Anderson of Maple Grove, Paula (Gary) Hanson of Champlin, Ken (Teresa) Widstrom of Coon Rapids, and MaryClare (Roger) Helgeson of Minneapolis; 17 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren; brother, Russ (Lee) Widstrom of Port Charlotte, FL; sister Joy Dvorak of Robbinsdale, MN; sister-in-law Lavonne Widstrom of Columbia Heights, MN.
He was preceded in death by his first wife Jean, second wife Dorothy; son Stephen; brothers Wayne, Roy, and Doug. Arrangements are with the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria; www.andersonfuneral.net. A00009B2011OT28