Loren Ask, 78, of rural Kenneth, Minnesota, died Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, at the Sanford Luverne Hospital.
Visitation was Thursday, Feb. 9, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. Funeral service was at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at First Presbyterian Church in Edgerton. Burial was at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.
Loren Lynn Ask was born on June 2, 1944, to James and Dorothy (Hunsdal) Ask in Luverne, Minnesota. He was baptized on June 25, 1944, and confirmed on Oct. 26, 1958, at Blue Mound Lutheran Church. He was raised on his parents’ farm south of Kenneth. Loren attended school in Kenneth through the sixth grade and then attended and graduated from Magnolia High School in Magnolia, Minnesota, with the Class of ’62. He attended one year of college in Mankato.
On September 28, 1963, Loren married Lucille Moen at Lake Wilson Lutheran Church in Lake Wilson, Minnesota. The couple moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1963 and returned to Kenneth in 1964, living on Loren’s grandparents’ farm north of town. Their 60-year marriage was blessed with three children and nine grandchildren.
Growing up, the family took many cross-country trips, often traveling without any maps. It never failed that before leaving the driveway, Loren would be heard asking for someone to hand him a sandwich.
Loren had a plethora of careers. He worked for Burlington Northern and Milwaukee Railroads as a fireman, worked in the plastic and steel industry in St. Paul, drove 18-wheelers, and taught truck driving at Austin Technical Institute. Loren’s latest career was driving for various charter bus companies, retiring from Reading Bus Lines in 2011. Even after retirement, Loren would still be easily recognized and will be forever remembered for wearing shorts and his Reading Bus Line blue shirt.
However, with all of his careers, his passion was farming. When he wasn’t farming himself, he enjoyed watching others in the field from his deck and looking at tractors on Tractorhouse.com.
He was very good with storytelling and had an ability to make friends wherever he went. He easily filled up his extra time following his children’s lives, watching and attending his grandchildren’s activities, and socializing with almost any person that came across his path.
Loren was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Edgerton. He was a former member of Kenneth Lutheran Church where he served on many leadership positions and was involved in the M2M prison ministry program. He was a regular attendee at the Kenneth Store Coffee Club. Loren would rarely miss a good farm sale and had many other interests. He enjoyed collecting tractors and participating in tractor parades; he loved trains and draft horses. He even received his pilot’s license so he could fly Cesna airplanes. Wherever he went, Loren was sure to have a hat on his head. Some of his favorites through the years were his LA, John Deere, Augie Soccer, and “Artni’s Grandpa” hats.
Loren set a good example for his family. He worked hard, but made sure to have time to visit with his family and others. He deeply loved his wife, Lucy. He took pride in his grandchildren and made sure to tell each one of them that “they were his favorite.”
Those grateful to have shared in Loren’s story include his wife, Lucy; three children, Lori Witte (Tim Levitt) of Luverne, Les (Rachel) Ask of Luverne, and LeRoy (Laura) Ask of Brandon, South Dakota; nine grandchildren, Lauren Witte (Scott Cerny), Alexander (Shannon) Ask, Paul Witte, Ashley Ask, Meghan Witte, Hayden Ask, Adam Ask, Julia Ask, and Bergen Ask; two sisters, Doris Nelson of Alamo, Texas and Cherylee Ask of Cold Springs, Minnesota; and many other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Paul Stanley Witte, Jr., and parents, James and Dorothy Ask.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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