Allen John Eastvold

FOREST CITY - Allen J. Eastvold, age 68 of Forest City, died Sunday, January 16, 2011 at his home in rural Forest City. Funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City with Pastor Rod Hopp officiating. Burial will be at Madison Township Cemetery in rural Forest City. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 PM on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at Petersen Lund Funeral Home 505 N Clark St in Forest City and will continue an hour prior to service at the church. Allen John Eastvold was born on July 27, 1942, in rural Wells, Minnesota, near Rice Lake, the son of Julius and Bessie (Durby) Eastvold. He graduated from Rake High School in 1960. Unbeknownst to his parents, Allen began taking flying lessons at the age of 15. He furthered his education by attending Waldorf College in Forest City and went on to graduate from Mankato State University in Mankato, Minnesota with a degree in business. He worked for a short time as an insurance agent. On June 4, 1966, he was united in marriage to Patricia Ruth Russ at Zion Lutheran Church in Rake, Iowa. The couple made their home in Minneapolis where Allen was a flight instruc...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

. In 1968 Allen began working for Eastern Airlines, a career that would span 22 years and over 20,000 hours of flight time. The family lived in many different communities through these years, finally settling in Forest City in 1977. Allen continued working for Eastern Airlines until his retirement in 1990. Allen then worked for the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department as a dispatcher and as a jailer. He later drove truck and did a little flying for Norseman Trucking in Lake Mills. Allen was a huge sprint car racing fan, attending the races in Knoxville, Iowa for almost 50 years. He enjoyed making the trip to see the Indianapolis 500, sharing the time with family and friends. He was a long-time country music fan but had recently developed a taste for Bluegrass music and had attended several festivals. An important part of Allen's social calendar was attending the Lutefisk dinners offered by area churches. Besides enjoying the food, it was a chance for him to renew acquaintances and visit with friends. Allen passed away suddenly at his home in Forest City on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at the age of 68 years. He is survived by his mother, Bessie Eastvold of Rake, IA; three children: Tim Eastvold of Forest City and his children Julia & Michael and their mother, Melissa; Darla and Brad Evenson of Lake Mills and their children Scott, Drake, Amelia & Hannah; and Matt Eastvold of Forest City. Also surviving are three brothers; James Eastvold of Grimes, Iowa; Paul (Karilyn) Eastvold of Springfield, Illinois and Darrell (Ginny) Eastvold of Mankato, Minnesota and numerous nieces and nephews; sisters-in-law Lou Ann (Pete) Van Gerpen of Garner and Irene Russ of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Allen was preceded in death by his father, his wife Patricia in 2006, a brother Merlin who died in infancy in 1944 and brother-in-law Ronald Russ.