William Owen Kjarum

Mankato Mortuary 1001 N. Riverfront Drive Mankato, Minnesota 56001 507-388-2202 William "Bill" "Willy" O. Kjarum, age 88, of Mankato, died peacefully on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at Ecumen Pathstone Living in Mankato. Memorial Service will be at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at Bethel Baptist Church with Rev. David Banfield officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at church. Following the service there will be a time to share stories of his life; this will be especially meaningful to his beloved grandchildren. Mankato Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Bethel Baptist Church and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. William was born October 12, 1927 to Selmer and Idella (Melos) Kjarum in Minneapolis, MN. He attended the Hovland School, and graduated from Austin High School. On December 14, 1951, William was united in marriage to Betty Hubbard in Austin. He served in the US Army from 1953 - 1955. Following his time in the military, William went on to graduate from Mankato State College with degrees in Accounting and Industrial Arts. He owned & operated Kjarum Accounting until the late 1970's, when he transitioned to general contracting & remodeling. William & Betty were members of First Presbyterian Church in Mankato and in April 1981, they recommitted their lives to Christ. Together they joined Bethel Baptist in April of 1998 and on May 31, 1998, William & Betty were baptized at Bethel Baptist. William was an active member of the Elks Club, as well as a Mason and Shriner. He volunteered for numerous organizations, including, but not limited to, the Salvation Army, Prison Ministry Outreach, Gideons, Fellowship of Christian Athletes & Kids Against Hunger programs. In 2000, the Key City Sertoma Club presented William with their Service to Mankind Award for Significant and Meritorious Service to Mankind. He was the treasurer of the Mankato Golf Club for many years, & a champion tournament golfer who possessed an elegant & classic swing. He was skilled at bowling, billiards, and won many, many games of cribbage & gin rummy! William spent his formative years growing up in the north woods in the Hovland, MN area. His heart remained there for the rest of his life, where he enjoyed spending time at the Kjarum family homestead with family & friends, being outdoors, building fires & spending time on the porch of the cabin he built listening to the creek. Bill cherished time spent with his family, especially his beloved grandchildren. William moved to Pathstone on his 84th birthday, where he was well loved & cared for by the incredible staff. Even with his dementia, he was known for his good nature, happy demeanor & photogenic good looks. He was in many ways their "poster guy" being in a local company's advertising & featured in many places throughout Pathstone. Even in death, William is continuing to give by his decision to donate his body to the Mayo Clinic Bequest program in Rochester, MN. William is survived by his daughters, Melinda (Jon Peterson) Kjarum of rural North Mankato, and Sandra (Tim) Seidel of Bloomington, IN; beloved grandchildren, Catelin and Linzi Peterson, and Gabriel, Jillian, and Tierney Seidel; special Cairn Terrier, Jake; sister, Jean (Harold) Kamppi; sister-in-law, Harriet Kjarum; nephew, Jon Kjarum; and nieces, Cindy Kjarum, Roxanne Kjarum, Candace Kjarum Jackson, Suzi Hangge, Judi McMullen, Idell Kamppi Ward, and Gwen Kamppi Young. William was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Betty in 2014; sister, June; brothers, Kenneth and Roy Kjarum; and Roy's wife, Lucille Kjarum.