Charles F. Lein Jr.

"I saw the Light." Our Dad loved that Hank Williams song and on 1-21 -25 our Dad got to see the light.
Charles Franklin Lein (called Jr. most of his life) was born in Fergus Falls on Dec. 29, 1928. He was baptized shortly after birth as the doctors did not know if he would live. Thus began battles with many health issues when at age five he ate a piece of raw bacon and got Trichinosis, various surgeries, injuries and heart issues spanning ninety years.
Jr. spent his first 11 years in Minneapolis where his dad was a biology teacher and encouraged his children to love animals and bugs. Jr. took a snake to school, ((that escaped and he had to find it), caught bats in his grandfather's house in Fergus Falls and even had pet pocket gophers. After moving to Arthur, he had a wonderful hunting dog named Clinker.
Jr. moved to Arthur in 1940 when his dad purchased the local drugstore. Summer weekends he and his sister Joanne sold popcorn and year around Jr. enjoyed helping as a soda jerk. In his high school years, he was responsible to open the drugstore before school for customers. He picked up a bad habit of smoking when he was 13 (taking cigarettes from the store) and finally quit at age 40.
After graduating, he went to Minneapolis planning to become a TV repairman but the class was full. He remembered a former Arthur teacher who now taught at the MN State School of Business. He stopped in to visit and ended up attending and graduating that school with an accounting degree.
He then moved back to Arthur and met Mavis Iwen who was working in his dad's drugstore. They were married on July 9, 1950, at St. John's Lutheran church in Arthur.
Jr. took many Civil Service Exams and found a job working for the VA, then the IRS in Fargo. After their daughter Pamela Ann was born, they bought a small house and later built a larger house with a garage. Jr. also joined the National Guard just in time to work day and night for a week during the Fargo flood of 1952. He was in the Guard for three years.
Jr. was always looking for different and better jobs. He ran an insurance agency, sold real estate, worked in sales and helped his dad with income taxes. During this time Vicki Rae was born. When the 1957 tornado struck Fargo, Jr. was working with his dad in Arthur. He took off for Fargo and found out his family had crowded in a car with neighbors and were safe. He didn't like being 30 miles away from the family so when his dad offered him a partnership, he purchased the old Lutheran parsonage in Arthur and they moved there. A few years later Brenda Kay was born and Jr. built a new house on the edge of town.
Besides his business Jr. also did bookkeeping for the Arthur elevator, taking tickets at the Johnson barn dances, being the town assessor, school board clerk, and even served as a city councilman. After his dad died, he sold the hail insurance business and built an office attached to his house. He taught Mavis how to help him during the busy income tax season.
Jr. was quite an entrepreneur. He took flying lessons, started the Arthur Flying Club and got his ham radio license. He wrote many tax and estate planning articles for various magazines and sent letters to the editors in the Fargo Forum. He wrote a book "How Farmers Can Beat the Tax Ripoff" in 1977 and even wrote his autobiography when he was 70.
In 1987 Mavis and Jr. moved back to Fargo to be closer to their daughters and families. Jr. enjoyed being in Fargo making many trips to the library, B&N and visiting friends in nursing homes. He loved how often his kids and grandkids stopped in to visit. In 2017, he and Mavis moved into Fargo Eventide assisted living center where Jr. made sure he knew all the names of the residents so he could visit with each one. Mavis passed away in 2023.
Charles is survived by his daughters Pamela Jondahl and Brenda (Kevin) Wolf both of Fargo; Vicki (Larry) Peihl of West Fargo; seven grandchildren: Nicholas (Jeanne) Peihl, Grafton, MA; Justin (Shelby) Jondahl, Fargo; Jessica (Justin) Hill, Hazen, ND; Jordan (Alexis) Wolf, Stillwater, MN; Tiffany (AJ) Pflugrath, San Diego, CA; Joshua Wolf, San Diego, Ca and Jacob Wolf, Lakeville, MN and nine great grandchildren: Lexi Jondahl, Broderick, Quinten, Wesley, Sage, Talen and Kaiser Hill; Franklin and Oliver Wolf. He is also survived by his sisters Mary Jane (Donnie) Paul, Arthur; Susan Smith, LaVernia, TX, and Nancy (Jim) Carl, Littleton, MA; brothers -in-law James Iwen, Tioga, ND, and Donald Iwen, Fargo; a sister-in-law Paulette (Orv) Bean, Moorhead. He was preceded in death by his parents Charles Sr. and Harriet; sister and brother-in-law Joanne and Bert Iwen; brothers-in-law Robert (Bev) Iwen, Ronald (Margaret) Iwen, and sisters-in-law Jean (Wayne) Anderson, Jane (Marvin) Tehven, Patty Iwen, Maxine Iwen and Patsy Gebeke.
Dad, we will miss you but we know you are in heaven pushing your sister Joanne's buttons, happy to be back with Mom, and visiting with your parents and all your loving relatives.
A private family gathering will be held. Memorials can be given to Hospice of the Red River Valley, Arthur cemetery or a charity of your choice.
West Funeral Home & Life Tribute Center
westfuneralhome.com
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Charles F. Lein Jr., please visit our floral store.
Funeral Service