Ken Club

Ken Club, of Dawson, died Sunday, September 17, 2023 at the age of 72.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, September 23 at 11:00 AM at Grace Lutheran Church in Dawson.  Pastor Kendall Stelter and Fr. Paul Timmerman

Visitation will be held on Friday, September 22 from 4-6:00 PM at St. James Catholic Church in Dawson with a prayer service at 6:00 PM.  There will also be visitation at  Grace Lutheran Church for one hour before the service.

Arrangements are with Hanson & Dahl Funeral Home.

Kenneth Lee Club was born in Hendricks, MN on January 29, 1951, to Leo & Sally (Schalek) Club. Ken was the middle of 3 children and grew up on a farm north of Ivanhoe, Mn.  He was baptized, received his First Communion, and was confirmed at St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Wilno, MN. Ken attended Ivanhoe Public School and graduated in 1969. He continued his education at Winona State University and received a BS in Elementary Education with strong fields in math and history, graduating in 1973.  He accepted a teaching position at Ivanhoe Public School.  He taught 6th grade from 1973-78.  He was also assistant varsity football coach and Title I Director during those years.  In the fall of 1978, Ken accepted a fifth-grade teaching position in the Dawson-Boyd School District.  He taught at Dawson-Boyd for a short time when he was given the opportunity to leave the field of education and begin a career in ag business.  Ken spent 35 years in seed and chemical sales, beginning his career with Super Crost Seeds and ending his career as the DeKalb/Asgrow District Manager for Monsanto.  Ken enjoyed working with farmers, dealers, and ag centers to provide products to meet farmers agricultural needs.

On June 10, 1977, Ken and Sandra (Sandie) Marie Nordseth were married at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Canby, Minnesota.  They made their home in Dawson, and were blessed with two children, Mackenzie Leigh and Kade Michael.  Great enjoyment came from being parents and supporting their children in their day-to-day development as well as their school, sports, church, and music activities.

Ken enjoyed sports as a spectator and a participant. His favorite teams were the Vikings and the Blackjacks!  In high school he found success on the football field.  As an adult he enjoyed playing golf, tennis, wallyball, racquetball and scuba diving.   Many weekends were spent playing fast pitch and making wonderful memories with the Cerro Gordo Fast Pitch team and later the Jim’s Clothing Masters Fast Pitch team.  Tournaments were played in the tri-state area with several state championships taking the team to National Competition.

Giving back to his church and community was important to Ken.  Ken served on the St. James Parish Council, was a trustee, lector, Sunday enumerator, Faith Formation teacher and homebound Eucharistic minister.  He especially enjoyed going back to his education background and teaching the youth, as well as visiting and providing communion to the homebound and hospital and care center residents from his congregation.  In the community, Ken served as the JMHS Foundation President and was co-chair of the JMHS Cornerstone Club that ran the campaign for donations for the Johnson Memorial Care Center building project.  He was also the Dawson Development Corporation president, and a member of the Dawson Economic Development Authority.  Ken was involved in the development of the Riverview Estates properties that provided additional housing in Dawson at a time of housing shortage in the community.  Ken served as president of the Riverview Estates Property.  He also served as a board member and president of the Dawson Golf Association.

Ken always felt blessed that he was able to travel throughout the world for business and pleasure with colleagues and friends.  Ken was always proud of his Polish ancestry (Chlopkowiak) and it was very special to him to include a visit to Poland in his travels.

Ken is survived by his wife Sandie, his children Mackenzie (Travis) Duis, and Kade (Christine) Club, grandchildren Payton, Piper and Porter Duis, and Elizabeth and Logan Club, sister Jeraldine (Rick) Kautz, his mother-in-law Bernice Nordseth, and sister-in-laws Deb (Curt) Hoyme, Deanna (Gerry) Greiner, Adaire (Tom) Ryan, and Amy (Tom) Gorder.  Ken was preceded in death by his parents Leo and Sally Club, his father-in law Duane Nordseth, his grandparents Frank and Rose (Chopski) Club and Adam and Anastasia (Lasnetski) Schalek, and his brother Greg Club.