John Darwin Knuteson

John Darwin Knuteson, 88, of Nevada, died May 24, 2012, at the Moore-Few Care Center in Nevada. John was born in 1924 to Olaf H. and Jennie (Thompson) Knuteson in Bismarck, N.D. He graduated from Fargo Central High School in Fargo, N.D., and attended one quarter at North Dakota State University (formerly known as the North Dakota Agricultural School) before being inducted into the U.S. Army.

John was sent to Ole Miss by the U.S. Army, then to Hawaii and became a radio operator. He served for three years in the Pacific theater. He was in the invasion force that retook the Philippines and then served in the occupation force.

John then again entered NDSU and received both his bachelor and master's degrees in chemistry. He met his wife, Elsie (Susie) Flesberg, who worked in the chemistry office and who typed his master's thesis. They were married on May 14, 1950, at Osterdalen Lutheran Church in rural Argusville, N.D.

John and Susie lived in Minneapolis, Minn., where John worked for the 3M Company. They moved to Nevada when 3M opened a new plant here in 1971. John retired from 3M in1989, and they continued to live in Nevada.

John is survived by his wife, Susie; daughters, Kathy Knuteson-Olson, Pelican Rapids, Minn., Peggy (Bryan) Dehn, Leonard, N.D., Amy (Randall) Kyte, Canfield, Ohio; and son David, Baltimore, Md. He has eight grandchildren, Matthew Dehn, Monica Phuong Ha, Phu (Kham) Ha, Capt. Thinh Ha, John L. Knuteson, Reena Kyte, Johathan Kyte, Tiffany (Brian) Nguyen; and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Joan.

Visitation will be on Wednesday, May 30, at 10 a.m., at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Nevada. A memorial service will immediately follow at 11 a.m., with Nancy Mitchell officiating. Friends may call now and until 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, at Ferry Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to St. Paul Lutheran Church (John's home church), the Heartland Hospice, or a charity of choice, in care of Ferry Funeral Home, 301 S. Washington, Nevada.

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