Noel Stratmoen

Northfield, MN - Noel Ellsworth Stratmoen of Northfield, Minnesota, passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 20, 2025 at the age of exactly 85 years old. Noel was born November 20, 1940 to Esther and Edwin Stratmoen in Dawson, Minnesota. The youngest of six children, his parents, four sisters, and a brother preceded him in death. After attending country school and junior high, Noel graduated from Dawson High School in 1958. His education experiences were enhanced by music including band, choir, madrigal, barbershop quartet, and solos. He continued his education at South Dakota State College in Brookings, South Dakota, receiving a BA degree in Industrial Arts and a minor in Art in 1962. As he was finishing his senior year at SDSC, Noel was asked to join the Engineering staff as an instructor. He taught courses in machine shop and machine shop practices, gas and arc welding, sheet metal, and basic technical process writing. He also assisted the Engineering departments by designing and building specialty research equipment, and earned several quarters of graduate work in Special Education. Noel married Lois Swenson, his high school sweetheart, on August 25, 1962, at Providence Lutheran Church in rural Dawson after dating for seven years through high school and college. In 1965, Lois and Noel moved to Northfield, Minnesota where Noel began a job with the G T Schjeldahl Company. Todd was born in 1966 and Shane was born 1969. Todd and Shane married the Lindtvedt sisters...Todd to Royanna and Shane to Sharon. Noel started at G T Schjeldahl as a Lab Technician and advanced to Senior Engineer, designing production processing equipment. In 1976, Noel joined Control Data Corporation as a Project Coordinator, advanced to Senior Engineer and Project Consultant to the VP of Operations, and then to Manager of Plant Engineering with responsibility for over forty acres of buildings. In 1998, Noel joined Laura Baker Services as Manager of Facilities and Grounds. In 2009, Noel and a business partner formed Rebound Property Management Company and three years later Noel and Lois bought out the partnership and renamed the business Northfield Property Management Company, with Lois serving as President. Noel and Lois joined Bethel Lutheran Church when they arrived in Northfield in 1965. He served in nearly every church leadership position, taught Sunday school for 21 years, and for more than 17 years co-led opening music for the 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds. Noel and Lois also joined the Northfield Arts Guild upon arriving in Northfield and together or as singles performed in twenty-eight different theater productions. Noel was committed to the Northfield community, serving on the Planning Commission, and to public education, having been elected to the Northfield School Board in 1980 and then serving for 42 years. Noel was a man of respect, dignity, integrity, wisdom, kindness, generosity, and wit, with a strong moral compass. He saw positivism at every opportunity. He will be remembered for his caring and patient nature and for his warm and friendly demeanor. His faith was firmly rooted in the teachings of Jesus, and the good news of Jesus was obvious as he served those around him. Noel was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather and a friend to so many. He lived his life to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with his God. He leaves a visible legacy of that philosophy for his family, grandchildren, the community, and his many colleagues and friends. He enjoyed his family, his community, and the wonderful life that optimism, hard work, and loyalty provided. He leaves his wife of 63 years, Lois Stratmoen; son, Todd (Royanna) Stratmoen and their children, Luke, Caleb (Linzie) and their son, Carson, as well as Emily (Aidan) McClellan; son, Shane (Sharon) Stratmoen and their children, Emma and Ian; as well as many nieces, nephews, other extended family, and countless friends. Noel was preceded in death by his parents, Edwin and Esther Stratmoen; four sisters, Angie (Bob) Oman, Lee (Fred) Dahl, Mae (Doug) Matthews, and Carol Dee (Jim) Holt; and brother Roger (Bev) Stratmoen. A Celebration of Noel's Life will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at the Bethel Lutheran Church in Northfield. Visitation will be held from 4-7 PM, on Monday, November 24, 2025, at Bierman, Benson & Langehough Funeral Home in Northfield, and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Noel will be laid to rest at Oaklawn Cemetery. Blessed be his memory.