MELVIN W. BESSER

AKKERMAN INGEBRAND FUNERAL HOME – MORA

Melvin Besser, of Brook Park, passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022 at his home.  He was 85 years old.

MEMORIAL SERVICE will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at the Zion Lutheran Church in Mora with Pastor Anthony Cloose officiating.

MEMORIAL VISITATION will be held 1 hour prior to the service on Tuesday at the church.

INURNMENT will be in the Brook Park Cemetery.

Melvin “Mel” Walter Besser passed away on Monday, May 16, 2022 at his home in Brook Park, holding the hands of his wife and daughter, with his son Dan at his side. He was 85 years old.

Melvin was born October 9, 1936, at home in Ogilvie, MN to Walter and Elvera (Lundberg) Besser.  The family lived on several different farms in the Ogilvie area before settling on a farm in rural Brook Park when Melvin was six and where they remained until Melvin graduated from Pine City in 1954.

In 1958, he was married to Bobbie Kurzhals, who he met through his sister, Marlys. They made their home in the cities until they saved enough money to fulfill Melvin’s dream of owning his own farm. Their first farm was in the Mora area, but their final move was in 1968 to their present farm in the Brook Park area. They remained there until the time of Melvin’s passing. Melvin and Bobbie were blessed with four wonderful children and five beautiful grandchildren, all of whom made many wonderful memories on the farm.

In his lifetime, Melvin wore several hats during his working years. He worked 10 years in a barrel factory before farming. When he began milking cows he also began hauling canned milk. For a time he worked some road construction with two of his brothers-in-law and he also did farm inspections for an insurance company and traveled many miles in the rural areas.

Melvin was a Whited Township board member, a Brook Park Lions member and served on the Federated Co-Op board. He was an active member of Emmanual Lutheran Church in Brook Park where he was baptized and confirmed, and also in Zion Lutheran of Mora in later years.

Melvin also took time to enjoy life. He loved horseback riding and his pack trips out west. He liked to fish and snowmobile and was overjoyed when he could skunk someone in a game of cribbage. And let us not forget his dancing prowess. A good polka was his favorite and the ladies honestly lined up to dance with him. Melvin is probably still smiling about that.

In his last months, Melvin was confined to home because of his pulmonary fibrosis. We will be forever grateful to St. Croix Hospice for the loving and compassionate care that they gave to Melvin over the last 7 months. They became our wonderful friends.

Melvin was so grateful to all of his good friends, who, through phone calls and visits, kept him in touch with the outside world. Three of those wonderful friends borrowed a handicapped van and took him on a last ride outside his home.

Melvin was an interesting kind of guy, loved and respected by his family and friends. We will
miss him terribly.

Melvin is preceded in death by his parents, grandson Joshua, son-in-law Jay Bohlen, brothers-in-law Adrian Athey and Arden Hippen.

He is survived by his wife Bobbie; children, Mark, Jodie Bohlen, Greg (Amy), Dan; grandchildren, Nick, Jen, Ben, and Alexis (Jayke); siblings, Carol Athey, Joyce Hippen, Marlys (LeRoy) Hippen, Sharon (Ron) La Casse, Sandra (Leslie) Johnson, and Joan (John) Hischer; sister-in-law, Bonnie Mohr; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

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