Norval Adolph Hegland

Norval Adolph Hegland, 98, passed away on September 10, 2025, at the Appleton Care Center in Appleton, Minnesota. His funeral service will be at Minnesota Valley Lutheran Church on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. with CentraCare Hospice Chaplain Gina Hatzinger officiating.

Norval Hegland was born at home on December 2, 1926, the last of 11 children to parents John and Annie (Lee) Hegland. Norval, known as Nory, grew up on the home farm where Jon and LuAnn Hegland now reside. He was baptized and confirmed at Minnesota Valley Lutheran Church, rural Louisburg, Minnesota. Along with his siblings, Nory helped around the farm with chores including milking the cows, feeding hogs, and mowing hay. In 1945 Nory joined the Navy and served in WWII and the Korean Conflict. He was stationed in Hawaii from 1951-1952. Upon returning from service, he farmed and raised cattle on the home farm and resided with Hjalmer and Adeline Hegland.

In life, Norval enjoyed playing ball and was a member of the Cerro Gordo Fast Pitch Softball League where he was known as an excellent ball player, playing until he was 40 years old. He also enjoyed bowling on the Hantho Bowling Team. He was active in his church, Minnesota Valley Lutheran, all his life and enjoyed having a Norwegian conversation with anyone who would snakke Norsk.

While living with Jolly and Ad, Nory would help mow lawns, garden, and fix things around their farm. He would also help down at Jon and Lu's farm trimming trees, mowing, painting the barn or whatever needed repair. Nory loved to fish and hunt. He shot his last deer when he was 92 and loved to walk for pheasants with the family. He and the family took many a fishing trips to Canada. One of his major undertakings for Jon and Lu was taking down a grove of trees in their "darn" so they could better see the lake from their sunroom. He too loved sitting in the sunroom and the view of the prairie. He especially loved the wild bergamot flowers and big blue stem prairie grass. Nory loved his sports, whether watching his Gophers or Twins or his nephew’s football or basketball games.

Nory had a pleasant disposition and enjoyed life and was an example of seeing the positive side of life. He would quote you a line from a song "You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and latch on to the affirmative. Don't mess with Mr. In-Between." If you were fortunate enough to spend some time with him, he would recite the 23rd Psalm by heart or a bit of Canterbury Tales. Even if you didn't understand Norwegian, Nory would still sing you a song in Norwegian or pray the table prayer, "In Jesu navn."

In his last years Nory especially enjoyed the kind and caring staff at Apple Ridge and the Care Center and the hospice family. He loved you all and appreciated each and every one of you

Norval is survived by his sister -in-law Adeline Hegland; nephews: Jonathon (LuAnn) Hegland, Arden Hegland, and Wayne Hegland; nieces: Delores (Scott) Lindell, June Hegland, and Janice (Gary) Mattison; grandnephews and niece: Erik Lindell, Kirsten (Michael) Savidge, Nils (Lindsay) Hegland, and Lars Hegland; special friend Bri Helbling; Christopher (Mariana) Petersen; the Pederson nieces and nephews; the Hegland nieces and nephews; Glomstad nephew; Olson nieces and nephew; and Doring niece and nephew.

Nory was preceded in death by his parents John and Annie Hegland; siblings: Marie (Oscar) Pederson, Nels (Thelma) Hegland, Amanda (Halis) Johnson, Joe (Agnes) Hegland, Edward (Elna) Hegland, Agnes (Henry) Glomstad, Hjalmer Hegland, Nelette (Marshall) Olson, Valborg (Donovan) Doring, and Waldemar (Avis) Hegland; and several nieces and nephews.

Blessed be the memory of Norval Hegland.