Louis E. Pankake died Nov. 14 at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis after a long illness. Louis, or Lars as he was known by all his friends, was born in Dassel July 14, 1909, the son of Linzay and Hulda Runquist Pankake. His early life was spent in the Dassel area, and he attended both grade school and high school there. After high school, he was employed by I.E. Iberson Construction Company in Minneapolis, building and repairing grain elevators through the Upper Midwest and in the Canadian Wheat Belt.
     On April 16, 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Medical Corps. He spent two years in the Caribbean area while in the service. He was discharged from the service in November of 1945.
     He returned to Dassel after his discharge with his wife, the former Clara Fannie Perkins of Medina, Ohio. He farmed for six years east of Dassel, then purchased a home in Hutchinson in 1951 where he and his family lived for 12 years. He was manager operator of the Dassel Co-op Dairy and Feed Mill for 22 years from which he retired in 1974. He returned to the Dassel area with his family in 1964, but in 1978 again returned to Hutchinson to live.
     He had a stroke in 1981, from which he never fully recovered, and spent his last years at the Minnesota Veterans Home.
     Surviving are his widow, Fannie; one son, Donald; two grandchildren; a brother, Alan of Dassel, and a sister, Lynette of Santee, Calif.
     Preceding him in death were his parents; two sisters, Blanche Elliot Jordahl and Marion Gayner, and one brother, Frank.
     Services were conducted at the Evangelical Covenant Church, Dassel, Nov. 18 with the Rev. Wallace Pratt officiating. Mrs. Leslie Benson was soloist, and Mrs. Morris Latt was the organist.
     Pallbearers were Steve Pankake, Reed Pankake, Jon Pankake, Jim Crayford, Matthew Crayford, Mark Crayford.
     Interment was in the Dassel Cemetery.

Added November 2, 2004