Eitzen, Alvin D. (1918-2004)

Newton Kansan obituary: 2004 Dec 22 p. 2

Birth date: 1918 Sep 4

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2005 Jan 17 p. 8

text of obituary:

ALVIN D. EITZEN

Alvin D. Eitzen, 86, of Mountain Lake, Minn., died Dec. 3, 2004. He was born Sept. 4, 1918, to David P. and Elizabeth Nickel Eitzen in Mountain Lake, Minn.

He accepted the Lord as Savior at an early age, was baptized by his father in 1931 and accepted as a member of Bergfelder Mennonite Church, now Lakeview Gospel Church.

He graduated from Mountain Lake High School in 1938. The next three years he attended Mountain Lake Bible School.

He married Lena Baerg on Sept. 5, 1943, at Lustre, Mont.

They bought a farm north of Frazer, Mont., where they lived, farmed and ranched for 36 years.

He was a member of Valley County and Montana State Farm Bureau, serving as president of the County Farm Bureau several years. He served on the first board of Lustre Bible Academy and was treasurer of the academy for 15 years.

He and his wife, Lena, joined Bethel Lustre Mennonite Church, which he was involved in building in 1948. He served in various leadership roles until the church disbanded in 1974. Then they attended Lustre Mennonite Brethren Church until their retirement to Mountain Lake in 1981, where they joined Gospel Mennonite Church.

During retirement, he became involved in the development of the Senior Citizens Center. He was involved in the MCC Minn-Kota Relief Sale for 10 years. He also was involved with MCC relief meat canning, having been on the executive board several years.

They adopted a son, Howard, in 1948. In 1957, when Alvin's sister and her husband died of cancer 15 months apart, they became foster parents of the three children, Erwin, Norman and Barbara.

Survivors include his wife, Lena; children Howard Eitzen, Erwin Rempel of Newton, Kan., Norman Rempel of Fresno, Calif., and Barbara Busenitz of Newton, Kan.; 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by two brothers, David D. and Peter D. Eitzen; a sister, Elizabeth A. Eitzen Rempel; and a brother, Theodore, in infancy.