Burnell Eidem

Burnell Eidem, 82, of La Mesa, California, died Sunday August 18, 2024, in San Diego, California.

Burnell was born on March 3, 1942, in the southwestern Minnesota town of Hendricks, (Lincoln County) to parents Clarence Knute Eidem and Julia Bertina (Mathison) Eidem. His heritage was completely Norwegian through all eight of his great-grandparents, something he was very proud of.

When Burnell was a young boy, the family moved to Grant County, Minnesota. He welcomed a baby sister, Leone Irene, in December 1944. They lived in various locations, including Erdahl for about eight months in 1949-1950 before moving permanently to Elbow Lake. He attended part of second grade in the one-room school in Erdahl, but the rest of his primary and secondary schooling took place in Elbow Lake.

He was a four-year member of the ELHS Concert Band, playing trumpet, and was a member of the National Honor Society, graduating with honors.

After Burnell graduated from ELHS in 1960, he attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota for one year before transferring to the University of Minnesota, Morris. He earned a B.A. majoring in Mathematics, along with Teaching Credentials, in 1964. He was part of the very first graduating class from UMM.

After graduation, Burnell taught high school mathematics for two years at a Military Academy in Illinois where he carried the title of “Lieutenant Eidem”, which seemed to amuse him.

He then decided to move into the still-new computer programming field, joining Univac in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1966. Over the next 36 years, he designed and developed software for numerous military projects such as air traffic control, the Apollo Space Program and special applications for the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy. 

He lived and worked in the Phoenix AZ area for four years before moving in 1975 to the San Diego CA area, where he lived and worked until retiring in 2002 from Lockheed (as a result of several corporate mergers).

He married Rachani Harrington who was originally from Thailand. They traveled together to Thailand several times, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and to other nearby Asian countries. They also traveled around the United States and to Italy several times to visit her relatives there.

Burnell was a lifelong baseball fan, starting with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1950s. He had a goal of attending a major league game in every MLB park, which he completed several years ago. He loved all sports and became a big fan of the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Padres, but he still kept his eye on the (Los Angeles) Dodgers. He also followed the Minnesota Gophers and the Minnesota Twins.

He is survived by his wife Rachani (Harrington) Eidem, her son David, nephews Mark Weigand and Brad Weigand. He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Leone (Eidem) Weigand, and brother-in-law Robert (Bob) Weigand.

Burnell’s service is set for 11 a.m. on Friday, September 6, 2024, at Erickson-Smith Funeral Home in Elbow Lake, Minnesota. There will be a visitation one hour prior. Interment will take place at Ness Cemetery, Elbow Lake.

Erickson-Smith Funeral Home of Elbow Lake has been entrusted with all arrangements.