Harry W. Ellefson, 91, Stevens Point, died Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, at the Portage County Health Care Center in Stevens Point.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Stevens Point, with the Rev. Howard Hintzman officiating.
Visitation will be at Boston Funeral Home in Stevens Point from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday and at the church from 10 a.m. Saturday until the service.
Condolences may be offered online at www.bostonfuneralhome.net.
Mr. Ellefson was born June 19, 1920, in Enderlin, N.D., a son of the late Alfred and Anna (Holen) Ellefson. In 1924, the family moved to Glenwood, Minn. After high school, he worked for a year and then attended the University of Minnesota for two years. This was followed by a short period of employment by the Soo Line Railroad.
He was inducted into the Army in April 1942 and served during World War II. Six months later, after basic training and Army engineer schooling, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He was honorably discharged at the rank of captain.
He was married to Janet Anderson on Feb. 25, 1943, at Camp Polk, La. They lived in Louisiana, Texas and, for a short time, in Kentucky.
Upon return to the U.S., he returned to Soo Line employment as a fireman.
He went back to active duty in 1950 during the Korean War. He was assigned as a staff officer in the Second Combat Engineer Battalion of the Second Infantry Division in Korea. He returned to the U.S. in 1951. He was awarded numerous awards, including a Bronze Star, six battle stars and a presidential unit citation.
He returned to Soo Line employment and was shortly promoted to an official position. His family moved numerous times to the various headquarters of the company, living in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. During the last 13 years of assignment, before retirement in 1982, he was the Eastern Division superintendent headquartered in Stevens Point.
Mr. Ellefson was an active member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. He was president of the Wisconsin Conference of Finance and Administration for the United Methodist Church. Other involvements included membership in Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, Chamber of Commerce, the National Defense Executive Reserve, the Central Wisconsin Planning Commission and several golf clubs.
Following retirement, he became a charter member of SCORE Chapter formed in Stevens Point in 1982. This included being chairperson for numerous years and presenting more than 150 small business seminars.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Barbara (LeRoy) Johnson, Miltona, Minn., and Jane (Jed) Malischke, Spooner; three sons, Grant, Prescott, Thomas (Patty), McFarland, and Gary (Ellinor), Chandler, Ariz.; one brother, Ralph (Donna), Rochester, Minn.; one sister, Margaret (John) Chipman, Minneapolis, Minn.; 10 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and one daughter-in-law, Lois, Cape Canaveral, Fla.
He was also preceded in death by one son, John; and one sister, Agnes.
