Harold L. Remley, 87

Published 9:55 am Monday, April 20, 2015

Harold L. Remley, 87, of Dodge Center, Minnesota, passed away Saturday, April 18, 2015, at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.

Remley

Harold Laverne Remley was born June 20, 1927, in a farmhouse near Plainfield, Iowa, to Walter “Leland” and Emeline (Youmans) Remley. He was the eighth child of nine children. He attended kindergarten through the eighth grade at Laffette No. 3 Country School, which he had to walk 1.5 miles to get to. He then attended Waverly High School for two years, in which he completed the 10th grade. After completing school, he worked on his parent’s farm until he married Dorothea Wilke on May 21, 1950. They raised two daughters and later divorced.

Harold worked briefly for John Deere and at a canning factory in Iowa, but farming was in his blood. Harold and Dorothea moved from the Plainfield-Clarkesville area to Stacyville, Iowa, in 1958. They farmed there for eight years until they moved to Taopi, Minnesota, in 1967 for four years. Harold finally bought his first farm by Ostrander, Minnesota, in 1971, then bought a hobby farm in 1975 north of Spring Valley, Minnesota, and finally moved to Dodge Center in 1976. When crops didn’t yield enough finances, he took a brief job at Cren-lo in Rochester, Minnesota, and then to Pace Dairy, where he worked until he retired. Harold liked working with wood, whether it be cutting a tree down with a chainsaw, making a birdhouse, or building — yet another — playhouse.

Harold and Dorothea rekindled their friendship and became roommates. They traveled together to many places, including a trip to Alaska.

He is survived by his special friend, Dorothea; daughters: Roberta (Jim) Heckerson of Spring Valley, Minnesota, and Rosemary (Ed) Hoefs of Hayfield, Minnesota; three grandchildren: Loretta Hoefs, Adam (Jackie Smith) Hoefs, and Tracy (Don) Jenkins; six great grandchildren: Liz Hoefs, McKenna Swenson, Alyssa Hoefs, Leanne Hoefs, Caitlyn Jenkins, and Melany Jenkins; three step-great grandchildren: Bradley Struckmann, Ean Smith, and Katie Chappuis; one sister, Gertrude Bienemann; and one brother, Marlowe Remley.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Emeline; granddaughter, Amanda Hoefs; two brothers: Lloyd and Walter Remley; four sisters: Gladys Hughes, Alice Holmes, Anna Hirsh, and Nettie Lebeck.

Funeral services for Harold Remley will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, 2015, at the Hindt Funeral Home in Grand Meadow, Minnesota. Burial will take place in the Grand Meadow Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, 2015, at the funeral home and will continue one hour prior to the service. Condolences may be left online at www.hindtfuneralhomes.com.