Edward "Ed" DeLaHunt

Edward Patrick "Ed" De La Hunt
Voice of Northern Minnesota and radio station owner spanning six decades
Passes away at 87
Edward Patrick De La Hunt, "Ed," longtime resident of Park Rapids, Minnesota, peacefully passed into eternal life at his home on October 25, 2025, with his wife, Carol, by his side. He was 87.
Ed was born on November 5, 1937, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Edward and Mary De La Hunt and was raised in St. Paul. He attended Cretin High School, then located at Hamline and Randolph Avenues-just a short walk from his childhood home. In 1956, to the joy of the Brothers and Sisters, Ed graduated. During his final years at Cretin, he met Carol Granse, who attended nearby Our Lady of Peace ("OLP") Catholic School. In 1959, Ed and Carol were united in marriage and were later blessed with eight children.
As a young man in the Twin Cities, Ed worked alongside his father at the family's service station at 333 Grand Avenue. He later joined Setchell-Carlson, where he was mentored by Bart Setchell. To further his engineering career, Ed attended Brown Institute, which led to his position as Chief Engineer at WMIN Radio (now WDGY in Hudson, Wisconsin). His radio career took him into engineering, announcing, sales, and station construction with radio stations in Thief River Falls, Brainerd, Minnesota, and Sheldon, Iowa.
Ed proudly served his country in the United States Air Force Reserve, assigned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC), and received an honorable discharge upon the birth of his first child.
In 1962, Ed and Carol moved to Park Rapids, Minnesota, where he began building AM station KPRM. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a construction permit on December 2, 1962, to operate on 1240 kHz, with the original studio located on 3rd Street in downtown Park Rapids. Today, KPRM operates on 870 AM with 50,000 watts of power.
Ed's passion for building from the ground up led to the establishment of several other stations under the KK Radio Network umbrella, including KDKK 97.5 and KXKK 92.5 (Park Rapids), KEHG (Fosston), KKWB 102.5 (Bemidji), KAKK 1570 and KQKK 101.9 (Walker), KSKK 94.7 (Staples), and KVKK 1070 (Verndale) WBKK 820 (Wilton). He also played a key role in promoting Christian broadcasting, helping launch Catholic radio stations WBKK and KVKK through sale and donation, and supporting the development of the Lifetalk Christian Radio network, headquartered at KOPJ in Sebeka.
In September 2021, KPRM and the other radio stations were sold to his son and daughter-in-law, Edward Paul and Tamara DeLaHunt under the name De La Hunt Media.
Ed's smooth, booming baritone voice was a familiar presence on the airwaves. He was beloved for his daily programs-always called "programs," never "shows," because, as he said, "I don't have dancing girls." His popular segments included Coffeetime and his Sunday night 1950s–60s program. He also delivered enthusiastic play-by-play coverage of high school football, hockey, and basketball.
Carol played an integral role in the radio business-balancing motherhood with managing traffic and daily station operations. In 2006, Ed and Carol were inducted into the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame for their exceptional contributions to radio and community service in the Park Rapids area.
Ed's dedication to community shone through his active involvement in numerous local and state organizations, including the Jaycees, Rotary, Minnesota Broadcasters Association, Pavek Museum Board, Hubbard County Republicans, Eagles Club, and Park Rapids American Legion Post 212.
Beyond radio, Ed was honored as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Men in Minnesota" by the Minnesota Jaycees in the 1960s. He served several terms as a Hubbard County Commissioner and as a Henrietta Township Supervisor. For more than three decades-from the 1970s through the mid-2000s-he served as a Hubbard County Deputy and Water Patrol officer, maintaining and installing communications equipment for local law enforcement and the Minnesota State Highway Patrol.
Ed had a lifelong love for animals, especially dogs and cats. His hobbies reflected his adventurous spirit: teaching amateur radio classes, flying single-engine planes, snowmobiling, cruising in his classic cars as a member of the Headwaters Cruisers Car Club, and spending time on Long Lake (and earlier, Whitefish Lake) in his speedboat or classic Higgins Mandalay. Known for his "need for speed," Ed also participated in the International 500 Snowmobile Race from Winnipeg to St. Paul, as well as oval racing at Itasca and the Bunny Moore track south of Park Rapids.
Above all, Ed was a man of deep faith and family. A devoted Catholic, he was an active member of Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Nevis, Minnesota.
Ed is survived by his beloved wife, Carol, and their eight children: Cindy (Richard) Jacobson, Bernie Schumacher, Julie (Brad) Wilson, Gene (Jim) Kanten, Edward (Tammy) De La Hunt, David (Joleen) De La Hunt, Matt (Angie) De La Hunt, and Richard (LeeAnne) De La Hunt. He is also survived by 23 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and siblings Rosie Basta, Annette (Mike) Fitzpatrick, Ruth Mulcahy (and companion Mike), and Jim (Margie) De La Hunt, as well as a special brothers-in-law, Denny Ginther and Gordy (Yivie) Granse and sister-in-law Judy Plante.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ed and Mary De La Hunt; his in-laws, Eugene and Lucille Granse; sisters Pat Gerstner and Gerry Ginther; brothers-in-law Bill Gerstner, George Plante and Jim Basta; uncle, Fr. Furey; and son-in-law John Schumacher.
A visitation will be held at Cease Family Funeral Home in Park Rapids on Friday, November 7, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Nevis on Saturday, November 8, at 11:00 a.m., with visitation one hour prior. A private interment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Nevis. Fellowship follows the service at the Nevis School.
Condolences and memories may be shared during the Coffeetime program, broadcast weekdays from 9:30–10:00 a.m., by calling 218-732-3306 or by emailing Butch@delahuntmedia.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to:
• Park Rapids Headwaters Animal Shelter, 901 Western Ave. S., Park Rapids,
MN 56470
• Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church, Nevis, MN
• Cretin High School, St. Paul, MN