Howard Raynard Enderson

Howard Enderson age 91 of Tracy, MN died Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at the Sanford-Sioux Valley Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Services will be held 11:00 AM Monday, October 21, 2013 at the Tracy Lutheran Church. Visitation will be from 5:00 until 8:00 PM Sunday, October 20, 2013 at the Almlie Funeral Home in Tracy, with a prayer service at 7:00 PM and continuing one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the Tracy City Cemetery, with a luncheon served immediately following the burail in the church social hall. The Almlie Funeral Home of Tracy is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be given to either Tracy Lutheran Church or the Tracy United Fund. Howard Raynard Enderson was born November 25, 1921 to Norwegian immigrants, Hans and Gertrude (Swenson) Enderson in Terril, IA, Dickenson County. He was the tenth born of twelve children and was baptized on February 5, 1922 in the Evangical Lutheran Church in Terril and confirmed on June 21, 1936 in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Belview, MN. Howard grew up on a farm near Belview, where he attended Belview Public Schools. When he was 14 years old, his father died and Howard worked to support his mother and himself. From the age of 16 until 18 he worked for the Civilian Conservation corp. He worked as a cashier at a feed store until his induction into the U.S. Navy on March 20, 1943. He served on a submarine hunting ship as a radar operator until his honorable discharge on February 21, 1946, after having served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres. After his military service, Howard returned to Minnesota and worked in clothing stores in Redwood Falls, Windom and Worthington, learning how he would and wouldn’t, run a business. On June 19, 1949 Howard married Mary Lou Reineking in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Winnebago, MN. Having saved enough money, Howard moved his family to Tracy, MN and opened Enderson’s Clothing for Men & Boys in 1955. Over the years Howard owned and operated several other Enderson’s Clothing stores in Canby, Worthington, Redwood Falls, St. James and Fairmont, MN. He also owned and operated several other businesses in Tracy before selling them to others. He retired with the sale of his business in Tracy in 1996. In 1976 he was nominated for “Minnesota’s Businessman of the Year”, then in 1978, he was honored as the Tracy Chamber of Commerce’s “Boss of the Year” and then in 1989, he was named the Chamber’s “Outstanding Citizen”. His church and community were both very important to Howard. He was a member of Tracy Lutheran Church and served as head usher for many years and served on many committees. He served on the Tracy Municipal Hospital board, Tracy City Council, Tracy and Pipestone Savings & Loan board, Retail Trade committee, Tracy Planning Commission, Box Car Days committee, and was also a member of the Tracy Kiwanis Club, Tracy American Legion, Tracy VFW, Cub Scouts and Tracy Country Club board. He enjoyed playing the guitar, golf, sharing stories, and Traveling by car with his wife wherever the road took them. A devoted family man with boundless love for his family, he always made it home for Mary's home cooked dinners. He will be remembered by his family as a gentle, meticulous man who lived with integrity, generosity, and determination, who always put others needs ahead of his own. In October of 2013 Howard became a patient of Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD, where he died, surrounded by his loving family, on Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at the age of 91. Howard is survived by his wife, Mary Enderson of Tracy, MN; two daughters, Amy (Todd) Johnson of Plymouth, MN and Elen (Jon) Vanderhoof of Lompoc, CA; four sons, Mark Enderson of Eden Prairie, MN, Kurt Enderson of Tracy, MN, Neil Enderson of Tyler, MN and Lyle (Patricia) Enderson of Anoka, MN; nine grandchildren, Jackie (James) Giesen, Jill (Jared Flaherty) Enderson, Alan Enderson, Jeff and Annie Vanderhoof, Eric and Leah Johnson, and Evan and Laura Enderson; six great grandchildren, Jaydon Doescher, Brooklyn, Hudson, Dillon Flaherty, Trevor and Keaton Giesen; many nieces, nephews and friends. His granddaughter, Sarah Johnson, great granddaughter, Justine Doescher, his parents, six brothers, Adolph, Carl, Melvin, Selmer, Harry and Ernest, and five sisters, Elma Moore, Gladys Bergen, Helen Christenson, Alida Reierson, and Doris Sheldon preceded him in death.