Eldon "Duke" Lursen was an uncomplicated father, father-in-law, and grandfather who enjoyed the simple pleasures in life, dedicated his life to providing for his family, and remained in good spirits until the end. He could engage almost anyone in a conversation and especially loved to talk about the many facets of agriculture over a cup of coffee. He took pleasure in watching his grandchildren's activities and spending time with them as possible. Eldon was born in Little Rock, Iowa on January 24, 1940 to Elmer and Minnie (Henrichs) Lursen. During his junior high years, as he liked to tell the story, he came into the nickname Duke when he put up his fists and challenged another kid to a fight. A classmate of his said "Down Duke", and the name stuck. It's doubtful Eldon was ever much for fighting, but the name stayed with him for life and really became a name rather than a nickname. When he was young, Eldon's family moved from Little Rock to Milroy, Minnesota and eventually on to Milan, where they bought a dairy farm two miles north and two miles west of town. He enjoyed life on the farm. He spoke with fondness rather than resentment of chores before and after school. He was not an elaborate story teller, but he would share fond snippets of life on the farm, such as the time he tied the handle of his little red wagon to the tail of a cow because he wanted a wagon ride, which as one can imagine did not turn out well, and the fact that the football bus had to wait on more than one occasion for him to return from after-school chores before departing for their Friday night game. Eldon graduated from Milan High School in 1958. He continued to work on his father's dairy farm outside of Milan until 1961, when he enlisted in the army. He served in the army as a mechanic until his honorable discharge in 1964. He then began what would become a career in the trucking business. He started by hauling milk in Little Rock, Iowa, where he met his future wife, Marilynn Gayle Voss. Shortly after the birth of their first child in 1968, Eldon saw an opportunity to return to Minnesota, hauling cattle from the Milan area to the Twin Cities and returning with freight for local businesses. Eldon stayed rooted in the Milan community thereafter. He hauled locally grown grain for 17 years before switching to commercial trucking. He did long-haul trucking for several years of his commercial career, and his younger children enjoyed seeing much of the country with him in the summers. He officially retired from commercial trucking in 2005. After "retirement" he continued to haul corn and beets each fall for local growers, even through cancer treatments. He truly enjoyed being in the fields and helping with the harvest. A farmer at heart, Eldon along with his youngest son Jordin began building a small cattle herd when Jordin was just in the sixth grade. They cared for their cattle together until Eldon's death on February 17, 2014. Eldon worked hard to provide a good upbringing for his children. When he wasn't working, he enjoyed relaxing with his family and spending time in fellowship with his wonderful Milan community, just as God intends. Eldon is preceded in death by his parents Minnie and Elmer Lursen and his sister Verla Lursen, who died in a car accident at the age of 19. He is survived by his four children: Steven Lursen and wife Theresa of Fort Dodge, Iowa; Joan Wiese and husband Jason of Dyersville, Iowa; Tara Haas and husband Chris of Rapid City, South Dakota; and Jordin Lursen of Milan. He has ten grandchildren: Isaac, Ethan, Aaron, and Anna Lursen; Jocelyn, Jack, Claire, and Audrey Wiese; and Merit and Matthew Haas. He is also survived by his former wife Marilynn Gayle Lursen, brother Calvin (Judy) Lursen, and sisters Gladys (Don) Viergutz, Adeline(Gene) Willms, and Marla (John) Lidman.
