Richard B. Throne "Dicky" Vinje

VINJE | Richard B. "Dicky" Throne, age 79, of Vinje, Iowa, died on Monday, May 15, 2017, at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 22, 2017. at Bethel Lutheran Church, 15722 490th Street, Scarville, Iowa, with Pastor Doug Domokos officiating.

Burial will be in the Bethel Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, at Mittelstadt Funeral Home, 902 E. Main St. in Lake Mills, and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday.

Richard "Dicky" Byron Throne, 79, of Vinje, IA, passed peacefully at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, MN, on Monday, May 15, 2017. He was born March 9, 1938, at home in Emmons, Minnesota, the son of C. Martin and Hazel Throne. He was baptized and confirmed at Emmons Lutheran Church, and was a 1956 graduate of Emmons High School.

Dicky was united in marriage to Karen Leanne Sunde June 27, 1958, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Vinje. They resided and farmed at rural Vinje where they raised their six children. He served on various co-op and elevator boards, church council and committees. His first job out of high school was at RILCO Laminated Products in Albert Lea and then began farming with his brother-in-law until he farmed on his own for more than 50 years.

Dicky never had a bad cup of coffee unless it was missing a conversation. He was well known for his ability to diagnose any mechanical problem 24/7 and as a competitive tractor pull champion. He loved all types of racing from go-carts to snowmobiles to NASCAR. Although people knew him as a farmer and master mechanic, he leaves a legacy for his family of the satisfaction gained from hard work; he was a thinker and seeker of knowledge, an innovator who always had to know the "HOW" and "WHY." He was loved by many for his humor, wit, and generous spirit, a man who always reached a hand down to lift another up, and felt a responsibility to treat others as he wanted to be treated.

He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Karen; three sisters, Lois (John) Duff, Alva, FL, Marlene (Robert) Sorenson, Decorah, and Audrey Whitney, Alva, FL; son, Michael (Melanie), Vinje, and their children Christopher (Sara), Peyton and Brooklyn, Lake Mills, Taylor, Downers Grove, IL, Matthew, Maple Grove, MN, Zachary and Kristyn, Vinje; daughter, Robin (Kent), Quad Cities, and her daughter Sarah (Decker), Le Claire; daughter Carol's sons, Angel, Lake Mills, and Danny (friend Karralyn) and Tatum, Riverside; daughter, Merna, St. James City, FL; son, Brian (Deb), and their son Jeremi (fiancée Ashley) and Alana, all Lake Mills; and daughter, Teresa (Robert) Feldmann, Williamsburg, and their children Justin (Emily) and Graham, Williamsburg, Jessica (Cody) and Stella Jo, Parnell, and Jordan, Williamsburg; and many, many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a daughter, Carol; brother-in-law, James Whitney; sister- and brother-in-law, Leonora "Tudy" and Harold Grunhovd; brother-in-law, Duane Sunde; sister-in-law, Merna Sunde; and his father- and mother-in-law, Henry and Ruby Sunde.

You can contact the family with online condolences at: www.mittelstadtfuneralhome.com, 641-592-0221.