Maynard Hjelle of Newfolden passed away Saturday morning February 19th at Oakland Park nursing home. Which he had been a resident in the assisted living quarters for the past year.

Funeral services will be held 10 AM, Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at Westaker Free Lutheran Church in Newfolden, MN with Pastor Phil Rokke officiating. Burial will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Newfolden, MN.

Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the funeral Wednesday at the church.


He was born in Kittson County, MN on October 28th 1925 to Juretha (Dahl) Hjelle and Melvin Hjelle. He was baptized and confirmed at the Westaker Lutheran Church in Newfolden. He was raised by his father due to his mother (Juretha) taken ill with tuberculosis. His mother was having to live at Oakland Park Sanatorium (they called it back then) in Thief River Falls. Maynard wrote a letter to his mother daily, to let her know how school was going, the daily life on the farm, his after school fishing down at the creek with a friend and an occasional movie at the theater.

Maynard graduated from Newfolden high school as an honored Valedictorian. In 1953 he headed to California with Earl Hanson to work for a few months. He was excused from the Army draft to help his father on the farm, since he was an only child.

When the TB vaccine first came out in 1960 his mother was able to return home to the farm. This was a very short time before she passed away in 1966. By this time Maynard was 31 years old. He continued farming with his father until his father (Melvin) passed away in 1970. Then off to Hibbing to work in the mines. After a while he got tired of the distance away from the farm and came back home to work at Arctic cat for a short time. He had to keep the farm work up so he went to work in the Sugar Beets in Drayton, North Dakota during the winter months. He and three friends car pooled to work there. After 26 years he retired.

He enjoyed his time fishing at Lake of The Woods and deer hunting. He was a very proud man. A man of few words, unless you got him going on a subject he enjoyed talking about. He was always dressed like he was going to an event or out to dinner. Kept the lawn on the farm well manicured, he was very happy and content to live the way he did. Maynard was an avid reader and play cards such as whist. He had a life long subscription to the Popular Science magazine. Maynard is of Norwegian descent and was able to speak some Norwegian.

During the last few years a stray cat came to the farm, which he befriended and took into his home. The cat sat on Maynards lap, while he watched old movies. Both were very happy to have found each other. Maynard commented about the cat three days before he passed away, he was too bossy."

Maynard is survived by ten first cousins on the Dahl side and 18 first cousins on the Hjelle side.

He was preceded in death by his mother Juretha (Dahl) Hjelle. His father Melvin Hjelle; and many aunts and uncles and cousins

Casketbearers: Kenneth Hjelle, James Hjelle, Hilton Hjelle, David Lokstad, Floyd Hanson, Robert Dahl