Curtis A. Persons

Curtis Alvin Persons was a man of character and conviction. He was strong in spirit and unwavering in faith. As a devout Christian and successful businessman, he served as a pillar of the community and a patriarch of his family and church.Curtis Alvin was born September 2, 1923 in St. Charles, Minnesota, the youngest child of Chancy and Selma (Nienow) Persons. At that time, the United States was recovering from the First World War and energized to rebuild its economy. By the end of the decade, stock markets fell and countries around the world experienced long years of economic depression. Like others of his generation who survived a financial crisis and a second brutal world war, Curtis was shaped by the values of hard work, love of family and strength of faith.Curtis grew up on the family farm, and by the conclusion of his 8th grade in school he had decided to join his parents in making farming his life's work. Not having attended high school, Curt was determined to prove that he could do well without a diploma, and he did. He was passionate about whatever lay before him, and he succeeded in everything he did. At the peak of his career, he farmed up to 2,000 acres and ran a large family dairy. In retirement, he downsized to 600 acres that he rented out, having produced a fruitful life on a solid work ethic and trust in God.Sharing Curt's life was Marjorie Harcey. The two of them first met when Marjorie came to work at the Persons' home as a means of helping Curt's mother with household duties. In keeping with his sense of humor, Curt began teasing her and trying to scare her ("Boo"), but soon matters turned serious. They shared common convictions that were manifested in such activities as Marge helping with the first Vacation Bible School at the St. Charles Bible Church where the Persons were charter members. Similarly, Curt helped to build the church, led its youth and impacted the community. Over the years, he distributed Gideon Bibles, taught Sunday School and was involved in the midweek Awana program. At the time that the building was going up, Curt was questioned about the expense of using cedar beams, and he responded, "Nothing is too good for my Lord." Curt took justifiable pride in being a follower of Christ.The courtship between Curtis and Marjorie culminated in their marriage at Berea Moravian Church near St. Charles on November 17, 1944, which by his own admission was the best day of Curt's life. He and Marge farmed north of the town for their entire married life and were blessed with fourteen children. Curt was fond of saying, "I was a farmer and raised a crop of kids." True to his own way of life, Curt nurtured his children in love and faithfulness. They began their day in worship, kneeling by their chair to pray at breakfast, were shuttled to Sunday School each week and formed religious traditions around the holidays. At Christmas time, they always read the biblical story of Jesus' birth and celebrated in meaningful ways.Such foundational activities were interspersed with Curt's quirky humor and family fun. For example, should he be asked, "How do you feel?" Curt would reply, "With my fingers." He called a "parking spot" a "sparking pot" and could often be heard to say, "Bother it." On a more serious note, he stated, "Finish what you start" or "If you can go forward, don't go backward." For entertainment, Curt took the family sledding and fishing, played checkers and 'Annie, Annie Over,' piled in the car for Sunday afternoon drives and went swimming at Whitewater Park after baling hay, played "May Basket." All proved Curt's assertion that fun could be had without smoking or drinking, which he never did.Rather, Curt was into polka music, TV westerns, gathering walnuts and competing in tractor pulls. When he mentioned to Marge that he wanted to race cars, he received a flat "no." Curt never raised the issue again. He entered numerous tractor pull contests and won many trophies. He was a member of the National Tractor Pullers Association as well as in the Hall of Fame in Minnesota, Iowa and Winona County.Time with Marge was better spent in travel. They took many wonderful trips abroad, visiting six out of seven continents in the world. They went on a Bahaman cruise, to Africa, Europe, the Amazon, the Holy Land and seven times to the Philippines. On vacation in Mexico City, Curt retained vivid memories of a gun being held to his head as he and Marge slept in their car. When he blurted out, "Lord Jesus save us," the robbers walked away.Curt experienced other calamities that he entrusted to God's care. The family survived two tornadoes, in 1953 and 2013, a house fire in 1956 and the death of a son in 1971. Still, Curt's faith was strong and his life was secure throughout his 91 years.Curtis Alvin Persons of rural St. Charles, Minnesota died Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at his home surrounded by his family.Survivors include his wife Marjorie; children: Gary (Christine) Persons of Glen Burnie, MD, Eileen Blum (Skip Hazel) of St. Charles, Christine (Larry) Graham of St. Charles, Judith (Gilman) Halbakken of Dover, Richard (Gloria) Persons of the Philippines, James (Lois) Persons of St. Charles, Beverly (Dave) McLaughlin of Winona, Janalee (Kenneth) Gilsrud of St. Charles, Keith (Kathy) Persons of St. Charles, Fay Van Vliet of Rochester, Neil (Tamera) Persons of St. Charles, Nancy (Apolinar) Arismendy of Fort Worth, TX, and Elaine (David) Leadabrand of Rocky Ford, CO; 47 grandchildren; 67 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren with 4 more arriving soon. Curt was preceded in death by a son Gordon, daughter-in-law Diane Persons, son-in-law David Van Vliet; siblings: Harold, Myron, Russell, Emily Urban and Doris Persons.Funeral Services for Curt will be at 11:00 AM Saturday at St. Charles Bible Church with the Reverend Jim Barnhart officiating. Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery in St. Charles. Friends and family may call from 4-8 PM Friday at Hoff Funeral Service in St. Charles and one hour before service at the church. Please view his video tribute, read his complete life story, and share a memory of Curt with his family at www.hofffuneral.com.Thanks to Always Caring Home Health Care, Seasons Hospice, Golden Living Center, Lewiston Villa, Mayo Clinic and St. Charles Bible Church for their help and care of Curt.Memorials are preferred to The Gideon's International or Camp Victory Ministries.Curt's five sons will serve as pallbearers. His deceased son Gordon is named an honorary pallbearer.
Tribute video can be found at: videos.lifetributes.com/534418