Joe Thomsen, age 80 of Ivanhoe, MN, passed away on Sunday, February 27, 2022 at his home in Ivanhoe. Memorial service will be held at 10
:30am on Saturday, March 12th at the Bethany Elim Lutheran Church in Ivanhoe, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be held at a later date at the Memorial Hill Cemetery in Lake Benton, MN. Houseman Funeral Home-Birk Chapel is entrusted with the arrangements.
Joe Alvin Thomsen passed away on February 27, 2022, at the age of 80, after a courageous battle with cancer. He died in his home surrounded by his family and loved ones. Joe was born in Hendricks, MN to Alice and Alvin Thomsen on January 25, 1942. He grew up in Lake Benton, MN and graduated from Lake Benton High School in 1960. He joined the Navy January 10, 1961 and served his country for four years as a supply clerk. After he was honorably discharged, he settled in southern California. Joe met his wife Judy and her two daughters, Dawn and Danielle the summer of 1976 and they married two years later on June 18, 1978. His third daughter, Lori joined the family December 24, 1979. After the passing of his stepfather, Carl Parker, the family moved to Ivanhoe, MN the summer of 1981 to be closer to his mother. Joe legally adopted Dawn and Danielle in 1985 and was an amazing father to all three of his girls. Joe worked for Floyd Wild Trucking (Marshall, MN) as an over the road truck driver for most of his career. He was a hard-working man but in his free time, Joe enjoyed reading, watching old Westerns, basketball, Law and Order, and all the NCIS TV shows. One of his favorite books and movies was The Green Mile. He was an avid enthusiast and collector of tools and he liked fixing things and tinkering in his garage. He was a jack of all trades and a master of some. He enjoyed gathering with friends and family for potluck meals and to play cards. After retiring in 2007, Joe could be found drinking coffee at Veire’s Mini-Mart or a diet Coke at the local watering hole, chatting with friends and neighbors or playing a game of cards. Anyone who knew Joe will remember his honesty, integrity, and work ethic. He had a great sense of humor and unconditional love for his family and friends. He was an amazing role model for his grandchildren and taught them the importance of honesty and that their “word was their bond”. He taught some of them to fish and teased them all by threatening to “punch them in the neck”. His favorite song to sing to his daughters and grandchildren when they were young was “A Bushel and a Peck”.
He is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Judy Thomsen and daughters, Dawn Rund (Bruce), Danielle Westrum (Chad), and Lori Fleiter (Jeremy); his grandchildren, Jacob Faux, Ethan Faux, Emily Rund, Aiden Rund, Olivia Gladis, Jayden Fleiter, and Liam Fleiter; his step-grandchildren, Skylar Westrum and Tucker Westrum; his niece, Neala Thomsen, his grandnieces, Amy Hansen (Thomsen) and Mary Smith (Thomsen), and many great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Alvin Thomsen and Alice Parker (Eastman), his stepfather, Carl Parker, his brother Neal Thomsen, and his grandnephew Michael Thomsen.
