Larry Jahnke

Lawrence "Turtleman" Jahnke, age 67, of Guckeen, died Thursday, February 2, 2012, at his residence. Funeral services will be held on Monday, February 6, 2012, at 2:00 PM, at Hope United Methodist Church in Blue Earth, 12080 380th Avenue (across from KJLY radio station) with Rev. Arthur Keith, officiating. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Blue Earth, Minnesota. Visitation time will be from 1:00 to 4:00 PM Sunday, at Patton Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 400 E. 14th Street in Blue Earth, and 1 hour before at the church. Web tributes may be left at www.pattonfh.com Larry grew up and went to school in Blue Earth, later receiving his GED while serving in the Army in Germany during the Vietnam War. After his service, Larry worked at the Elmore Nursery. Larry then moved and worked in St. Paul. He moved back to Blue Earth and worked for Gerring and did construction, working on the Blue Earth Hospital. Larry worked for Tow in Fairmont doing carpentry work as well as his trapping which led to him to begin buying and selling furs. This then led Turtleman into 'buckskinning' where he crafted Native American artifacts and went to Rendevous' - selling, trading, and connecting with other fellow buckskinners for many years. Larry has been trapping since his teen years, but bear hunting became his passion with his first hunt in 1974. Northern MN and Canada were good to Larry as he shot a total of 72 black bears! During this last year of hunting on Earth, Larry shot the biggest bear in Bear Camp and tagged a MN moose! Turtleman was the #2 Lifetime Member of the MN Trappers' Association, and a member of the NRA, Bear Camp, and Facebook - which kept him connected to his friends and family. He is survived by his daughter Lori (Charlie) Rose of Colorado Springs, CO, son Chris (Kenya) Jahnke of Cologne, MN, daughter Kim Jahnke of Lakota, IA, brothers Lorman "Bub" (Bev) Jahnke of Elmore and Bennie Jahnke of Windom, sister Helen (Lloyd) Hinton of Blue Earth, grandchildren Desi, Cooper, Kylie, and Branden, and special family Marsha, Jessica (Brent), Tre`, Skyla, Nate, Madison, Cobe, Amy, Jada, Rusty, and Dakota. Larry is preceded in death by son Travis, his parents, brothers Ralph and George, and sister Anna Ferguson.