Cecil Femling

Cecil Femling was born at Satersmoen Hospital in Pelican Rapids, MN on 4 September 1920. He was the first of three children born to George E. Femling and Helene Boettcher Femling. He grew up at the farm home in Star Lake Township where he attended rural school District #244. He graduated with a class of six in 1935 and then attended Pelican Rapids High School where he drove daily, picking up other classmates along the ten mile route. He graduated in 1939, one of a class of sixty-nine. He continued to work on the farm using a new John Deere tractor his father had purchased. He also worked for his uncle, John, in his feed mill, sawmill, and as the youngest crew member on his threshing rig. He ran onto a worn 1930 Model A Ford truck which he purchased with his fall's wages. His father helped to repair the truck, making it roadworthy. This led to Cecil's desire to attend auction sales, and he missed very few, especially if they were nearby. The Selective Service Draft Board in Perham classified him for a deferment when his father became disabled as a result of a farm accident in 1942. Cecil continued with the farm work while helping other farmers with transportation jobs until December 1944 when he joined the Navy, training at Great Lakes, IL and Palm Beach, FL. While at Great Lakes, Cecil was chosen to sing with the Navy Blue Jacket Choir. Upon discharge, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota, College of Agriculture in St. Paul. Before graduation, he married Elaine K. Strand, a school teacher, in Houston, MN on 28 December 1948. He signed a contract to teach vocational agriculture at Springfield, MN in 1949. In 1956 he joined the sales staff at Springfield Milling Corp. selling cattle and poultry feeds until moving to Pelican Rapids in 1962. In June of 1962, Femling was named Director of Information at Lake Region Co-op Electrical Association. He answered member inquiries, was editor of the newsletter, and taught safety and first aid to Lake Region personnel, retiring from that duty in July 1984. Soon thereafter, he was requested to write a monthly column for the newsletter, News Flashes. His book, Down the Road A Piece with Cec, was printed in 2005. Femling was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Elaine, a brother, Charles, a sister, Betty Rossow, and a grandson, Danny Oliver. Survivors include his six children: Bruce (Carol) of Baxter, MN, Cindy (Jerry) Oliver of Pelican Rapids, MN, Brian (Pat) of Baxter, MN, LeeAnn (Ed) Asker of Brainerd, MN, Jill (Dean) Gangelhoff of Brainerd, MN, and Tim (Sharee) of Pelican Rapids, MN. He also leaves 23 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, sister-in-law Mary Ann Femling, and many nieces and nephews. He was a member of the Senior Citizen Center, the Otter Tail County Solid Waste Board, the Otter Tail County Variance Board, the Model A Guys, the American Legion of Pelican Rapids, the Friends of Maplewood State Park, Faith Lutheran Church and its choir, Rotary International, and the Steam Thresher's Reunion. He was on the Pelican Rapids City Council and was the MC for the Pelican Rapids Memorial Day services for many years. He died on January 27, 2017 in Pelican Rapids. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 1 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids, MN with Pastor Philip Johnson officiating.A memorial gathering will be one hour prior to the service at the church.Memorials of your choice are preferred in lieu of flowers. Please keep the Femling family in your thoughts and prayers.Funeral Home: Larson Funeral Home 304 3rd Street S.E. Pelican Rapids, MN US 56572