Allen Tesmer, 96, of Lime Springs, Iowa, died on November 8, 2017, at Evans Memorial Home in Cresco, Iowa.
Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, November 13, 2017, at Lime Springs United Methodist Church in Lime Springs, Iowa, with Pastor Paula Hemann officiating. Visitation will be held 3-6 p.m. Sunday, November 12, at Lime Springs United Methodist Church. Visitation will continue an hour prior to the time of service Monday at the church. Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home Cresco is assisting the family.
Allen Tesmer was born April 15, 1921, in Millville, Minn., to Ernest and Louisa (Krueger) Tesmer; he was the sixth of 12 children. He spent eight years going to a one room country school, near the home farm. Allen attended two years of high school in Millville. He helped on the family farm, along with working for area farmers until entering the service. On September 1, 1942, he entered active duty at Fort Snelling, Minn., where he left for Fort Lawton, Wash. He learned close order drill at Fort Lawton for one week. From Fort Lawton he was transferred to Midland Canadian Camp near Prince Rupert, British Columbia for basic training. Four months was spent with the 228th Military Police Company. The next two years were spent as a wrecker driver, the remainder of time in the service was spent as a messenger courier between Prince Rupert, BC and Port Edward, BC. When World War II ended, Allen was home on recuperation leave. He spent the next two months in striking force in Aberdeen, Md. He was discharged at Fort George Mead, Md., on October 26, 1945.
In April 1946, Allen purchased a truck, hauled cream for the Lake City Creamery, and then moved to Rochester, Minn., where he and his brother Larry hauled milk for Rochester Dairy.
On February 14, 1949, Allen was united in marriage to Arlene McNee. In August 1950, Allen and Arlene purchased a farm in Fillmore County, Minn., where they had a dairy farm. When arthritis was too much for Allen, he sold the dairy herd and built a large hog operation, which he ran for many years. Allen attended four years of Agriculture School in Spring Valley, Minn. He was baptized and confirmed at Saetersdal Lutheran Church in 1954. Arlene passed away in March 7, 1984.
On October 11, 1986, Allen was united in marriage to Deloris Dawson at the Little Brown Church. Allen and Deloris loved spending the winter months in the south and southwest; he drove in all 50 states. He was delighted to reach the mountain tops and explore each set of mountains he could get to. He also enjoyed the Gulf Coast and loved to walk along any beach he was near.
Allen enjoyed watching nature and the crops growing to be harvested in the fall. He loved taking the car out for a drive and going out to eat.
Allen is survived by his wife Deloris; children: James Tesmer of Rochester, Minn., Kathy Tesmer of Harmony, Minn., Joy (Robert) Baker of Minnetonka, Minn., and Gene (Diane) Tesmer of Knob Noster, Mo.; step children: Paulette Smith of New Braunfels, Tex., Samuel (Pat) Carter of Cadiz, Ky., and Brad (Judy) Carter of Hopkinsville, Ky.; 12 grandchildren: Jeremy, Michael, Wendy, Jennifer, Mark, Karin, Sarah, Gordon, Danielle, Chelsea, Kim, and Adam; two step grandchildren: Shanna and Jamie, 14 great-grandchildren: Olivia, Gavin, Izayah, Brackston, Morgan, Kathryn, Cooper, Harper, Lucas, Logan, Evelyn, Chris, Sydney, and Alex; four step great-grandchildren: Nolen, Blair, Camilla, and Carter; three brothers: Lawrence Tesmer of Elgin, Minn., Edward (Lorraine) Tesmer of Millville, and Louis (DeLoris) Tesmer: a sister, Wanda Otteson of Red Wing, Minn.; and many nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his late wife Arlene (1984), his parents, daughter Julie Tesmer (1954), son Jerrold (2015), a grandson, and seven siblings: Alfred, Carl (Joyce), Walter (Renata), George (Caroline), Ernest (Margorie), Russell (Rita), and Hazel, brother-in-law Richard Otteson.