Gustav Paul Dinga

Dinga, Dr. Gustav P., age 101, passed away on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at Walker Methodist Care Suites in Edina, Minnesota. Gustav Paul Dinga was born on October 6, 1922, on the family farm in Haugen, Wisconsin to Daniel and Suzanna (Jurkovic) Dinga. He attended grammar school at Nobleton Grade School and graduated from Rice Lake High School in 1940. After serving in the military during World War II, he returned to Northfield and received his BA in Chemistry from St. Olaf College in 1947. He and his twin brother Emil were the first in their family to earn their college degrees. He married Eunice V. Anderson on September 3, 1948 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield. They made their home in Louisville, Kentucky while Gustav studied for his MS in organic chemistry at the University of Louisville. He received his PhD in inorganic chemistry from the University of Wyoming in Laramie in 1962. Gustav then began teaching at St. Cloud State University before taking a position as a chemistry professor at Concordia College in Moorhead in 1953, from which he retired in 1991. Gustav was a Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts, Sunday School Superintendent, Meals on Wheels and food shelf volunteer, and flood volunteer. He was a member of the American Chemical Society, Red River Valley ACS, International Association for Hydrogen Energy, Sigma Xi, Gamma Sigma Epsilon, and was a fellow of the American Institute of Chemistry. Gustav received many awards, including the Ole and Lucy Flaat Distinguished Service Award, Nere Sundet Professor of Chemistry, Order of the Arrow Scouting Award, and the United Blood Services Life Giver Award (for donating 11 gallons of blood). Travel was always a big part of Gustav's life. While they were still teaching, he and Eunice would take cross-country camping trips in their van through the United States and Canada. He loved camping, hiking and the outdoors, a passion he passed down to his kids and grandkids. He once wrote in a letter, "Camping gets in your blood. There is something about being in nature that is hard to explain." Later, when Gustav and Eunice retired, they expanded their travel internationally as well. Some of the highlights over the years included trips to China, Norway, the Galapagos Islands, Australia, Egypt and a safari in Kenya. Gustav was also a runner, completing his first of many marathons at age 57. Gustav is survived by his children: Paul (Dorann Lucas) of Tampa, FL, Marc (Marianne) of Cleveland Heights, OH, Cheryl (Gregg) Feigum of Bloomington, MN, and Diane (John) Stratton of Yuma, AZ; his grandchildren and great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Ruthann Dinga; and additional relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife Eunice in 2014 and his siblings - Samuel, Daniel, Mildred, John, Olga, Luella Johnson, Celia Hanson, Jerry, Milo, and Emil. A celebration of Gustav's life will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, February 24 at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Bloomington, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will take place in Oaklawn Cemetery, Northfield, MN. Memorials are preferred to the "Dr. Gustav and Eunice Dinga Chemistry Endowed Scholarship Fund," Concordia College, 901 8th St. S., Moorhead, MN 56562 or at ConcordiaCollege.edu/GiveToMyEndowment. Thanks to the staff at Walker Care Suites of Bloomington for their loving, gentle, and respectful care! Arrangements are with the Bierman, Benson & Langehough Funeral Home. www.northfieldfuneral.com