Palmer J. Lunde

Palmer J. Lunde, 88, Jamestown, North Dakota, died Thursday, November 18, 2010 at Jamestown Hospital.

Palmer James Lunde, the son of Jens and Elizabeth (Bakken) Lunde, was born August 7, 1922 at Rochert, MN.

He attended grade school at Rochert and high school in Detroit Lakes, MN, then Frazee where he graduated in 1940. He was employed on farms, lumber mills and building log cabins until 1942 when he attended and graduated from Victory Aircraft Welding School in Kansas City, Kansas. He then worked in Minneapolis, MN until he enlisted in the US Navy in the spring of 1944 and received his Boot Camp training at Farragut, Idaho. He attended the Navy Basic Engineering School at Great Lakes, IL. He served in the Pacific aboard two destroyers, the USS Preston and the USS Collett until his discharge in 1946.

On November 8, 1947, he married Alfreda Sola in Fargo, ND. Together they moved to Upham, ND where Palmer was employed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1951, he was transferred to Rice Lake Wildlife Refuge at McGregor, MN. In 1957, the family moved to Jamestown, ND. Palmer owned and operated Palmer's Surge Sales and Service until he sold the business in 1979. He then worked as a substitute school bus driver and operated Lunde's Locksmith Shop until his retirement in 2005.

Palmer was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church. He served on the church council for several years and as chairman for three. He was a member of Men of Trinity and was Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troup 163. He was a member of the Sons of Norway Lodge, a lifetime member of the VFW and the America Legion. He enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Palmer is survived by his wife, Alfreda, Jamestown; three sons, Gregory (Sherryl) Lunde, Los Alamitos, CA, Paul (Kim) Lunde, Jamestown, ND and Brian (Barbara) Lunde, Arlington, VA; five grandchildren; one sister, Gladys (Richard) Schauland, Marquette, MI; and two brothers, Rev. Joel (Alice) Lunde, Fergus Falls, MN and Floyd (Cora) Lunde, Tucson, AZ.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters.