Services for Lester “Tom” Waling

Lester “Tom” Waling, of rural Grygla, MN, passed away under the care of Hospice at Minnesota Greenleaf Assisted Living in Thief River Falls, MN, on Monday, February 8th, 2016, at the age of 84.

 

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, February 11th, 2016 at Grace Lutheran Church in Grygla, MN, with Rev. Vicki Saude-Worthington officiating. Interment will follow at Valle Cemetery, Benville Township, Beltrami County, MN.

 

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM with a prayer service at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, February 10th, 2016 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN, and also one hour prior to the funeral service at church on Thursday.

 

Lester “Tom” Waling was born on July 2, 1931 in Kent, Indiana, the son of Lester and Vera (Standish) Waling.  Tom’s childhood was spent in Indiana, Minnesota, and Illinois where he met Evelyn Uhlig.  

 

Tom and Evelyn were united in marriage in October of 1949.  The couple raised their six children in Illinois and Minnesota.  They settled in the Fourtown area in 1961where they started farming.  In 1965 the family moved to the Grygla area where they dairy farmed until 1985.  Tom and Evelyn then moved to Alden, Illinois where he worked as the Township Commissioner until 1993.  Upon retirement he moved back to Grygla.  Tom had many other occupations through the years and did volunteer work including the Foster Grandparent Program at the Grygla School and driving for Marshall County Social Services.

 

Tom’s interests and hobbies included fishing, hunting, watching the Vikings and the Timberwolves, watching the grandchildren’s sporting events, and attending senior meals and morning coffee at the café in Grygla.  Tom had a heart for helping those recovering from addictions.  He spoke once a month at Glenmore Recovery Centers, attended AA meetings faithfully, helped other addicts by driving them to meetings, and started an AA group in Grygla for a while. 

 

Tom “Grandpa Tom” will be missed by all of his family and friends.

 

Tom is survived by his special friend, Myrna Lane of Thief River Falls, MN; children, Patty (Wayne) Cox of Badger, MN, Dan (Renee) Waling of Pinewood, MN, Ron (Evie) Waling of Grygla, MN, Tina (Jim) Watterson of Cambridge City, IN, Sally (Bill) Helland of Ferndale, WA, Marcy (Ted) Mears of St. Cloud, MN; 15 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; sisters, Arlene “Susie” Wiersma and Marilyn “Happy” Blank, both of Harvard, IL; brother-in-law, Harold Myers of Roscoe, IL; many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

 

He is preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn; infant grandsons; brothers, John and Pete; sisters, Elizabeth Ihrke and June Myers.