Gene L. DeMartelaere

Gene L. DeMartelaere, age 85, of rural Miltona, died unexpectedly on Sunday, January 1, 2023, at his home.

A visitation will be held from 11:30 a.m. until the service at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at Lind Family Funeral Home in Parkers Prairie with Pastor Rachel Stout officiating. Full military honors will be accorded by the Minnesota Honor Guard and the Parkers Prairie American Legion Post #219. Lunch will follow the service at the Miltona Community Center from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m..

Gene Lowell was born on May 14, 1937, to Ceriel Joseph and Marvel Mildred (Chaplin) DeMartelaere in Porter, Minnesota. He attended high school in Ivanhoe, Minnesota and was a member of his high school and church choir. Gene was also quarterback of his high school football team his senior year. He graduated in 1955, and left for bootcamp in the Navy that same week, just as his older brother, Merle, had done. Both boys were following in their father, Ceriels footsteps. Gene was a radioman on the USS Randolph and was on tour in the Mediterranean with the 6^th and 2^nd Fleet for four years. He had a beautiful tenor voice and was a member of the Navel Choir, “The Blue Jackets”. Following his honorable discharge in 1959, he returned to Ivanhoe where he met and married Lulubelle “Lu” Brainard, who at the time taught girls Phys Ed and English in his old high school. They were united in marriage on October 22, 1960, in Porter, Minnesota. Gene worked union road construction, just as his father and brother did. He worked for Michelson’s Construction. Gene and Lu lived outside Ivanhoe on a farmstead where they bought their first horse, Dolly. Her foal Trinket was Gene’s treasure. They had their first three children there: Desiree Sarah born December 12 1961, Maria Louise born May 24, 1963, and Darwin Ceriel born August 26, 1965. Shortly after Darwin was born, they moved to their permanent home on Lake Irene near Miltona. Gene worked for Johnson Brothers Construction and eventually Strom Construction out of Moorhead. Gene and Lu’s last child, Charles Jacob, was born August 12, 1970. Together they raised their four children and “hundreds” of animals under the shade of their giant oak tree. Gene retired early, at age 57, in 1994, and spent his remaining days, with his wife Lu, hunting, fishing, gardening, and spending lots of time with their grandchildren. Gene was declared legally blind in 2001, and slowly lost his remaining sight as years went by, but not much slowed him down until Lu’s death in 2017. Their youngest son, Charles, had moved back on the homestead and helped out where he could. On January 1, 2023, Gene passed away with his faithful dog, Willy, by his side.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Lu; daughter and son-in-law, Desiree and Gary Kloos; and all his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Gene is survived by his daughter, Maria (Lonny) Casebeer of Belle River; two sons, Darwin of Sebeka and Charles of rural Miltona; brother, Merle DeMartelaere; seven grandchildren, Christopher Kloos, Matthew (Stephanie) Kloos, Janae (Jake Shrank) Kloos, Joshua Kloos, Crystal (Matthew) Knihinicki, Wayne (Jess Jansen) Casebeer, and Jacob (Alicia Perhus) DeMartelaere; nine great-grandchildren, Nicholas and Danial Kloos, Jace and Jemma Shrank, Mila and Abel Knihinicki, Kahlan Casebeer, Ezekial Perhus, and Augustus DeMartelaere; along with many nieces and nephews.