Howard Dalager, 75 of Thief River Falls, MN passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 22, 2021 at Valley Home in Thief River Falls, MN.

The funeral to celebrate Howard's life will be at 1:00 PM on Monday, August 30, 2021 at Zion Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, MN with Rev. Frank Ehling officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. 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.

Howard Peter Dalager was born May 19, 1946 to Horace and Gladys (Nelson) Dalager. He was baptized and confirmed into the Lutheran faith. Howard attended St. Hilaire Elementary School and graduated from Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls with the class of 1964. He went on to Northland Technical College in Thief River Falls for two years and also worked for two years at various jobs in the surrounding area.

On January 18, 1968, Howard entered into service with the United States Army. He was stationed at Ft. Dix, NJ, served in Germany, was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and Sharpshooter Medal. Howard was Honorably Discharged on January 2, 1970 at which time he returned to live in St. Hilaire.

On May 20, 1978, Howard was united in marriage to Lois Aronson at Calvary Lutheran Church in St. Hilaire. After saying his vows to Lois, Howard turned to her four kids and vowed to take care of them and support them throughout the marriage. He farmed on the family farm, tended bar and sold insurance. Later, Howard drove school bus for Thief River Falls school district and worked as a substitute mail carrier. Eventually, he became a full-time rural mail carrier and after his retirement in 2013 worked as a bus aide for the school district and retired from there in 2019.

On December 18, 1999, Howard was united in marriage to Margaret Berggren at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Warroad, MN. They made their home in St. Hilaire and moved to Thief River Falls on December 23, 2016. Together they enjoyed traveling to Aruba, cruises in Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico, Ft. Myers, FL where they watched the Twins during Spring Training, also enjoyed trips to Arizona, Utah and other places in the United States.

He was a life-time member of Calvary Lutheran Church in St. Hilaire. He was a charter member of the St. Hilaire Lions Club since 1982 and in all those years has never missed a meeting. Howard served as St. Hilaire Councilman and Mayor and was a volunteer St. Hilaire Fire Fighter for 25 years. Howard was an active member of the Ecklund-Holmstrom American Legion Post 117, where he was Past Post Commander. He was an active member of the Color Guard and was a member of the Elks and VFW.

Throughout his life, Howard was an avid sports fan, especially the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. In his early years, Howard loved playing fast pitch softball and as time went on, he became coach for Thief River Falls American Legion Baseball taking the team to state one year in the early 1990's. He loved deer hunting, playing cards & shaking dice, and was a very social man. He loved visiting anyone and everyone.

Survivors include his wife, Margaret of Thief River Falls; stepchildren, Steve (Kathy) Aronson, Danette (Kevin) Palmer, Trina Gust, Trudi (Brian) Hexum, Diane (Peter) Jones, Richard (Tammy) Berggren, Robert (Susan) Berggren, Dana (Carl) Kodadek, Dawn (Bob) Johnson; numerous step-grandchildren & step-great-grandchildren; sister, Grace (Sean) McCarron of Twin Cities and their children Jonathon and Sarah (Josiah); and many other relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents; and stepdaughter, Donna Berggren.