Harry Sjulson

Harry Donald Sjulson was born September 21, 1921 at the family homestead in McKinley Township, Kittson County, Minnesota, the son of Sivert and Cora (Evenson) Sjulson. He was baptized at the age of 12 by Rev. Peter Thompson of the Karlstad Assemblies of God Church in 1933; this took place in the Pelan River north of Karlstad. For most of his childhood, he attended country school in McKinley Township. He graduated in 1938 from the Lancaster High School and in 1939 from the one-year teachers' training program at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls.

He taught one year each at the West Cannon Township School and the North St. Joseph Township School, respectively, in Kittson County. He spent 1941-45 in southern California working in aircraft factories as a tool and die maker and inspector. He then served in the US Army of Occupation near Kobe, Japan, returning to the United States in 1947.

He married Vivian Anderson at Potter, Nebraska, on December 30, 1947.

They lived for about two years in Minneapolis, while Harry attended the University of Minnesota. They then moved to Vivan's family's homestead north of Potter, Nebraska, where they ranched until 1954, when they moved to Ramona, California, for one winter before moving to Black River Township, west of St. Hilaire, Minnesota.

Harry and his brother, Paul, built, owned, and operated the Sjulson Hatchery and Turkey Farm at St. Hilaire until 1964 when Paul and his family moved to Glenwood, Minnesota. After that, Harry continued the turkey raising business until 1981, living in the home Paul had built some years before on the south edge of St. Hilaire. He also served as general manager of St. Hilaire Supply, a wholesale plumbing firm from 1977 to 1979.

Harry and Vivian remained in their St. Hilaire home until her death in 2018 at the age of 100. A couple of years later, Harry moved to the Veterans Home in Fergus Falls, from which he was selected to take part in an Honor Flight to Washington DC in 2022, which he enjoyed tremendously, being accompanied by three of his grandsons, Sean Myhrer and Luke and Ben Sjulson.

Harry served on the school boards of SD#562 (St. Hilaire) and SD#564 (Thief River Falls) for a total of 27 years from 1964 to 1990, then briefly in an appointed capacity during 1994, serving in all local positions, including chairman of the school board for four years. As a representative of the local school board, he served on the Northwest Regional Development Commission for several years, four years as chairman of that body; the Regional Computer Consortium in Moorhead; and the Educational Cooperative Service Unit (ECSU) for several years, including the chairmanship for a few years. He also was elected for 13 years to the Minnesota School Board Association's board of directors, serving two years as vice president and two years as president of that organization.

The source of his greatest pride of accomplishment while with the school board was for his spear-heading of the campaign to ban smoking on all school property at the local level, which inspired the rest of Minnesota in that direction. Since Minnesota seemed to be leading the nation in this endeavor, he was invited to make presentations at a number of regional conferences on the subject, including at Washington DC, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Colorado Springs, on how the smoking ban was being effected in Minnesota. These regional gatherings were sponsored by the National School Board Association, American Lung Association, American Red Cross, and American Cancer Society.

More recently Harry served as a member of the Garden Valley Telephone board of directors from 1990 to 2009, including being the secretary of that organization from 2001 to 2009, as well as the Garden Valley Education Foundation, serving as secretary from 1992 to 1999, and vice president from 1999 to 2001.

Harry has served his community in several other positions, as well, including the St. Hilaire Fire Department for 21 years; the Lions Clubs in both St. Hilaire and Thief River Falls from the mid 1970's to 1998, including several terms as Tailtwister; briefly on the Black River Township Board; as Scoutmaster for Troop 53 of the Boy Scouts in St. Hilaire from 1966 to 1975; president of the Northwest Turkey Council for Land O'Lakes; a member of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association; and as a Valley Home board member from 1985 to about 2010. He had a lifetime membership in the American Legion Post in Thief River Falls and, for the past several years, been its oldest member.

He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Red Lake Falls since 1961, serving as an elder for three terms, as well as occasionally serving as a lay pastor and regularly singing tenor in the choir for over 50 years. He had also previously been charge lay leader for the First Methodist Church in Potter, Nebraska, a sponsor of the high school youth group, and president of the young adults group there.

When Harry noted his 100th birthday, he and his family enjoyed a celebration, including hosting a reunion of many of his nephews and nieces who came from all over the United States to see him and each other.

He is survived by one daughter, Donna (Vincent Waggoner) Myhrer of rural St. Hilaire; two sons: Dr. Roger (Vickie) Sjulson of Fosston/Mesa, AZ and Dr. Neil (Jennifer) Sjulson of New Braunfels, TX; foster son, Sony (Tuyet) Nguyen of Rowlett, TX; grandchildren: Sean (Stacy) Myhrer and Patrick (Misty) Myhrer both of Thief River Falls; Dr. Luke (Karen) Sjulson of New York City, NY; Dr. Justin (Marissa) Sjulson of Honolulu, HI; Bryan (Patricia) Sjulson of Minnetrista, MN; Benjamin (Brittney) Sjulson of Schertz, TX; Mark (Traci) Morinville of Brooks, MN; Stacy (Troy) Hamre of Crookston; Sean (Julie) Nguyen of Carrollton, TX; Tammy (Andy) Mangham of Allen, TX; great-grandchildren: Michaela (Cole Klegstad) Myhrer; Zachary (Cassie) Myhrer; Bethany (Curtis) Sandberg -Korb; Benjamin Sandberg; Dexter, Axelle, and Maxine Sjulson; Lucy Lee Sjulson; Tianna, Ty, Talia, and Tate Hamre; Kendra, Alyssa, and Levi Morinville; Trenton and Tyler Schossow; Kai Guerrero; Gracelyn and Joelle Nguyen; and Peyton and Taylor Mangham; one great-great-grandson, Kalen Korb; one great-great-granddaughter, Korra Klegstad; one sister, Kay "Goldie" Nelson; one sister-in-law, JoAnn Sjulson; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; two brothers, Paul Sjulson and Robert Sjulson; one sister, Gladys Elfstrom; his son-in-law, Jerome Myhrer; his daughter-in-law, Phyllis Hill Sjulson; and several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, as well as three nephews and one niece.

Service for Harry will be held at a later date.