"It was a pleasure and an honor to have known John. We will always remember his humor and his stories of times many years ago that he recounted like just yesterday."
In loving memory of
John W Moede
April 22, 1908 - September 29, 2009
John W. Moede, age 101, of Windom, MN died peacefully at Sogge Memorial Good Samaritan on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. He was preceded in death by his wife, Edna Hohenstein, parents William Robert Moede and Ragna Thesen, brother Orville W. Moede, sisters Margaret Braunger, Agnes Fitzgerald Van Zee, Kathryn Hannon and Ruth Smestad. John was born in Windom on April 22, 1908 and lived all 101 years of his life there. His memory will live on in the hearts of his survivors, brother Thomas Moede of Prescott, AZ, sons John H. (Mona) Moede of Golden Valley, MN, William D. (Barbara) Moede of New Ulm, MN, grandsons J. Scott (Jennifer) Moede III of Lake Oswego, OR, William (Kimberly) Moede, Jr. of Tulsa, OK, Jason F. M. (Bridget) Moede of Naperville, ILL, and Krista (Matthew) Connor of Owatonna, MN. "Grandpa John" has nine (9) great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, cousins and many lifelong friends. He also leaves behind his wonderful and loving companion Cora Brugman and Family.
John attended Windom Schools and was trained by his father to become a painter; a profession he held for several years. Soon World War II was upon us and he joined the Minnesota State Guard where he volunteered for Fire Boat Duty in Duluth; he then worked in Defense at Deponi Aviation making Army Gliders. When work at Deponi was completed, he joined the staff of J. D. Dill Company (Grain Elevator), and later was employed by Larson's Plumbing & Heating. For fifteen (15) years before retiring he took pride in his job as the Water Superintendent of Windom.
Confirmed in 1937, John remained a dedicated member of Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Windom, and as a Charter Member was involved in the development of the expanded Church; he continued to be a Trustee and member of the Church Council for many years.
John Moede possessed a keen passion for civic responsibility. His most treasured civic duty was serving as a Windom Volunteer Fireman for more than fifty (50) years; last year he was honored by the Windom Fire Department at a 100th Birthday Party; he commented after the party that those were "his buddies". He also served on the Windom City Council and was a member of Golden Kiwanis.
He experienced significant joy as an avid outdoorsman and sportsman who vigorously taught his sons and grandchildren the art of hunting, fishing and trapping with "an eye" to protecting the environment. Along the way he truly enjoyed his hobby as an artist who painted delicate landscapes on oil canvas, wood carving wildlife and restored antique decoys.
His Family is grateful for the tender care he received from the Staff at Sogge Memorial and the visitations and prayers provided by Pastor Paul Sajban and Pastor Ernest Swenson.
Blessed be the memories of John W. Moede.
Tributes
"One of my greatest feature stories that I wrote for the Worthington Globe was one about John. He took me to the theater and showed me the Art Deco painting he did on the north and south walls. He got the stencil from Hollywood and was able to apply the colors. He just smiled and smiled when he told me about his climb high up on the wall and applying the colors. Many generations have witnessed these designs and knew nothing about their background."
"What a great long life John enjoyed. Lots of Windom's history has now left us. Always enjoyed my many visits with John when I would return to the area. It's been years, but I still picture him driving around in a City Truck. What great memories. You have my sympathy on you loss, John was quite a guy."