Arnold "Arne" Engelstad, 89, of Thief River Falls, MN died peacefully on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at Minnesota Greenleaf with his loving family at his side.

The funeral service to celebrate Arne's life will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN with Pastor Matty Towse officiating. Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM on Saturday at Johnson Funeral Service. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Thief River Falls, MN. Military honors will be provided by the Ecklund-Holmstrom American Legion Post 117, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2793 and Minnesota Army National Guard Honor Guard.

Arnold Larness Engelstad was born on December 19, 1927 in Thief River Falls, MN the son of Paul M. and Olive M. (Larness) Engelstad. He was baptized into the Christian faith and confirmed on May 28, 1944 at St. Pauli Lutheran Church. Arne attended RoseHill Country School in Rocksbury Township, Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls and the Agriculture College in Crookston, MN. In his youth, Arne was a spelling bee champion.

On October 25, 1950 Arne entered into service with the United States Army and did his basic training at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. He was stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany and was Honorably Discharged on October 6, 1952.

On March 26, 1951 Arne was united in marriage to Jacqueline "Jakki" Shetler at First Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls. After Jakki's passing in 1988, Arne never remarried because he felt he had already found "the best!" Four sons were born to this union, Mark, Michael, Mitchell and Murray. These four sons carry his legacy, each distinct, each walking his own path, none of them an exact copy of Arne but each carrying a piece of him with them.

They made their home on the farm of the Engelstad Family in Rocksbury Township, the farm which was homesteaded by his grandfather Peder Engelstad in 1883. Throughout his life, farming was Arne's passion. He was fortunate to farm alongside of five generations of Engelstad's, from his grandfather down to his grandsons. He farmed with oxen and horses all the way to auto steer, GPS-directed tractors.

Hunting, card playing, snowmobiling, and camaraderie with family and friends at the Hunting Camps at Fourtown, MN were his favorite hobbies in his adult life. In his younger years he enjoyed bowling and softball. After he retired, Arne transitioned to golf and would go with anybody that was available. He enjoyed going out for meals with family and friends at various restaurants throughout the years and was a regular for burgers on Saturday at table 17 at the Legion. Using laughter and good humor with anyone who would listen, whether a stranger at Hugos or a customer at Dees Kitchen, Arne loved to visit.

In 1962 Arne and his brother Jim were recognized as Outstanding Young Farmers by the Chamber of Commerce. Arne was also a member of the Pennington County Crop Improvement Association. He was a long time member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls.

Survivors include four sons Mark (Allyson) Engelstad of Thief River Falls and children, Zachary (Megan) Engelstad, Rachel (Benny) Carpenter, Alicia Engelstad, Frannie (Dustin), Tobias (Shanice) & Morgan Mann; Mike (Jodi) Engelstad of Columbus, IN and children Steven (Leah) Engelstad, Jakki (Matty) Towse; Mitch (Renae) Engelstad of Thief River Falls and children Chastity (Mike) Lewis, Ethan (Erin) Mattson, Corey (Amanda) Jasper, Chenni (Corey) Lancto, Aubrey Jasper; Murray (Cheryl) Engelstad of Thief River Falls and children Anthony (Shelby) Hendricks, Arron (Lindsay) Hendricks, Melissa (Sukarno) Hendricks, Lyndsey (Josh) Engelstad, Matthew Larson, Kory Engelstad; 27 great-grandchildren, Trajan, Kateri, Emzy, Vladimir, Guineveur, Eleanor, Alex, Aiydin, Isaac, Payton, Max, Zoe, Avery, Violet, Declan, Cohen, Carly, Marcus, Cody, Keaton, Jason, Lorena, Breanna, Summer, Jackson, Harrison, Nora; and many other relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by his wife Jakki; parents; grandson Matthew; and siblings Earl, Morris, Blanche, James and Peter.