Eugene Mark "Dutton" Klun

Klun, Eugene Mark Eugene Mark "Dutton" Klun, 77, of Hopkins, Minn., died Sunday, Dec. 15, at Our Lady of Peace in St. Paul. Dutton was born in Eveleth, Minn. on March 26, 1936, and graduated from Eveleth High School and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He retired in 2005, after a long career in the insurance industry. The story of Dutton's life includes many great accomplishments in high school and college athletics, as well as music. He played football and hockey, and he was a competitive diver. He also played trumpet in his high school band and in dance bands well beyond high school. In his final years, years marked with significant illness, music was one of the few things that comforted him. He was preceded in death by his father, Ludwig Klun; mother, Mary (Proznik) Klun; brother, Ludwig "Dempsey" Klun; and sister, Marion "Midge" Palovaara. He is survived by his sister, Florence Jacka of Burnsville, Minn.; brother, Gerald Klun of Duluth, Minn.; sons, Gene (Sandy) Klun of Prior Lake, Minn., Christian (Cindy) Klun of Minneapolis, Minn., and John (Yuo) Klun of Richfield, Minn.; grandchildren, Heather Klun, Alex Klun, Sophia Klun, Quentin Klun, Madeline Klun, and Xavier Klun; and many nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and grand- nieces. In recent years, Dutton also felt the extraordinary impact of the in-home hospice care professionals from Park Nicollet Hospice. As he outlived his cancer prognosis by several years, their attention and compassion kept him on his feet and in his car, so he could keep driving through the snow, keep visiting his family, and keep searching for the perfect restaurant meal. Similarly, the family will always be grateful to the staff at Our Lady of Peace, whose knowledge and care afforded Dutton comfort and preserved his dignity during the final and most difficult days of his life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be given to this charitable institution. A memorial service will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Cremation Society of MN, 7110 France Ave. S., Edina, (952) 924-4100, with visitation one hour prior to the service. For contributions to Our Lady of Peace: www.ourladyofpeacemn.org; or 2076 St. Anthony Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104.
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.