Neil Elsworth Fedson, 81, Austin

Published 10:21 am Monday, April 22, 2013

Neil Elsworth Fedson, 81, of Austin, Minn., died Saturday evening, April 20, 2013, at his home in Austin.

Neil Fedson

Neil was born April 21, 1931, the son of Nels and Ida (Dahl) Fedson in Rochester, Minn. He received his education in the Lyle, Minn. schools, graduating from Lyle High School in 1949. Neil was the first basketball player at Lyle High School to score more than 1,000 points, finishing with a career high of 1,303. On Sept. 2, 1950, he was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Gloria Reuter at Our Saviors Lutheran Church of Lyle. Neil was employed by Hormel in the Austin office and later in the corporate office for 43 years, retiring in January 1991.

Neil was very active in the Austin community. He was a youth coach, mentor, served on the Austin High School Hall of Fame, with the Austin Athletic Club as President, was a color radio announcer for high school sports and was an all-around sports fan. He liked to golf, watch sports and play sports trivia. He was also active through St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Heartland Express and served on the Austin City Council. His family and traditions were his priorities and he will be deeply missed. Heaven has received a great catch.

Survivors include his wife, Gloria Fedson of Austin; three children, Janet (Philip) Christiansen of Oronoco, Minn., Julie (Bill) Arnold of Owatonna, Minn., and James “Jim” (Sheri) Fedson of North Mankato, Minn.; six grandchildren, James (Melissa) Christiansen, Jenna (Greg) Umbaugh, Andrea (Dustin) Gaffke, Emily (Nate) Pitts, Sara Fedson (Sam Steiger) and Amanda (fiancée, Trevor Schmidt); two great-grandchildren, Audrey and Alex Christiansen; and many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Dr. C. H. Fedson and Stanley Fedson; one sister, Wilma Doyle; and his mother and father-in-law, Jeanette and Raymond Reuter.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at St. Olaf Lutheran Church with Pastor Kristi Koppel officiating. Private family interment will follow at Six Mile Grove Lutheran Cemetery, rural Lyle, Minnesota. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 23, 2013, at the Worlein Funeral Home and for one hour prior to the service on Wednesday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to St. Olaf Lutheran Church. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com.