Harlan Lohse

Harlan D. Lohse, age 72, of Willmar, formerly of Raymond, died Thursday morning, January 3rd, at Rice Memorial Hospital.

Services will be held at 1:30 P.M., Monday, January 7th, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Raymond with Rev. Tom Reagan officiating. The interment will be in the Fairview Cemetery in Raymond. Military honors will be provided by the Willmar and Raymond Americans Legion. Friends may call from 4-7 P.M., Sunday, at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar and at the church one hour prior to the services. Memorials to the Rice Hospice are preferred.

Harlan Dean Lohse was born on October 16, 1935, in Raymond, Minnesota, the son of Julia Mae (Anderson) and Harold August Lohse. He grew up in the Raymond area and received his education in the Raymond Schools. Harlan worked for the Hanson Brothers on the farm before entering the Army in August of 1958. He served in the Army until 1960 and returned to Raymond. On February 11, 1961, he was married to Sylvia Jean Goeman at the First United Methodist Church in Raymond. They lived in Ghent, Gluek and returned to Raymond. They bought the Mobil Station in Raymond and Harlan drove school bus for many years before becoming the maintenance engineer for the Raymond Schools. He retired in 1998 and did farm work for Kurt Meyer and Wendel Kienitz. On July 23, 2005, he was married to Shirley Joy (Luchtenburg) Zimmer and they made their home in Clara City and then moved to Willmar in 2006 because of Harlan's health. He was a member of the St. John's Lutheran Church in Raymond and served as an usher for many years. Harlan was also a member of the Raymond Lions Club and the American Legion. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, traveling and he and Shirley were elected Senior Citizen's King and Queen for 2007 in Willmar.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley Zimmer-Lohse of Willmar, one son; Brian (and Marilyn) Lohse of Raymond, one daughter; Pam (and Jeff) Maag of Willmar, one stepson; Gary (and Nancy) Zimmer of Kerkhoven, three stepdaughters; Donna (and Mike) Swanson of Kerkhoven, Marlis (and Tom) Kavanagh of Murdock and Sandra (and Mark) Gaulke of St. Michael. Also surviving are three granddaughters (Brianna, Khia, and Kimberly), 11 step-grandchildren and four step-great grandchildren, and two sisters; Beverly Marihart of Brooklyn Park and Julie Lohse (and special friend Jacque Cooperman) of Shakopee, besides other family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Sylvia in 2004; a brother, Dennis Lohse; a brother-in-law, Gordon Marihart and a sister-in-law, Doris Swanson.