Harlen C. Wente

Harlen C. Wente, of Jordan, passed away at the age of 85. A Celebration of Life Service is Saturday, August 29, 2015 at 11:00 AM with visitation one hour prior at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jordan. Reverend Jeremy Glowicki will preside. Pallbearers for Harlen will be Todd Trump, Arlen Wente, Arnold Wente, Mike Wente, Dillion Euriga, Matthew Wente and Tommy Trump. He will be laid to rest at Meadow Ridge Memorial Park Cemetery in Faribault.

Lawrence and Helen Wente celebrated the birth of their son, Harlen Carl Wente, on December 28, 1929. Harlen was the oldest of four children, and he loved growing up in Northfield with his siblings, Floyd, Marion and Mollie. Harlen attended Trinity Lutheran School through 9^th grade when he began working. Harlan was forced to grow up in a hurry when family illness and injuries required that he become the man of the house and support his family. He developed a strong work ethic that carried him throughout his life.

One day when Harlen was working, he saw a beautiful young woman wearing a white hat and standing in a field. That woman was Marie Trump, and she quickly stole Harlen’s heart. On September 20, 1949 Harlen and Marie exchanged wedding vows. When they were first married, they lived in a Silver Bullet trailer right at Harlen’s work site. Eventually they settled in Jordan where they raised two wonderful daughters, Marjorie and Linda.

As a family they enjoyed fishing, swimming and camping. They had part ownership of a cabin on French Lake, and they loved to spend time there with family. They also took many trips up to Kandiyohi and spent time on Diamond Lake. Harlen loved being on the water. He’d do everything from fishing to waterskiing and was proud to pass this love onto his girls.

For more than 40 years Harlen worked as a heavy equipment operator for Bryan Rock Products. One of the great things about this job was that it allowed Harlen and Marie to take extended trips in the winter when the pit would close down. They visited California and Florida, and they spent many winters down in Arizona. When Harlen retired from Bryan Rock Products, he got a job at Wolf Motors. He shuttled cars for Wolf Motors for nearly 20 years.

Throughout his life, Harlen loved fishing with his wife and playing cards with friends. Harlen was a talented woodworker and a great handy-man. He designed and built custom oak cabinetry for Marie when they moved into their house. Although he had many interests, the most important things in Harlen’s life were family and faith. He was an active member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jordan. He served on the Church Council, was involved in building the new church, and was an usher for many years.

A few months ago Harlen was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and his health began to fade. During the early morning hours of August 26, 2015, Harlen went to be with the Lord. He received excellent care from the nursing staff at the Belle Plaine Lutheran Home during his short stay with them.

Harlen was a kind and hard-working man. He provided a good life for his family and was a dedicated husband. Harlen will be deeply missed and remembered always by his wife, Marie Wente; daughter, Marjorie (Dean) Hartwig; grandchildren, Angela (Richard) Harshberger, Andrew (Jenny Searles) Euriga, Mark (Joy) Zuehl; great-grandchildren, Theresa, Matt, Dillion, Kendra, Richard; great-great-grandchild, Kale; sister, Mollie (Bryce) Skaar; sister-in-law, Juanita Wente; other loving relatives and friends. There to greet Harlen in Heaven were his parents; daughter, Linda Wente; granddaughter, Toni Zuehl; siblings, Floyd Wente and Marion (Weymuth) Kerkow.

The Wente family is served with honor, care and compassion by Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation.

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