Roy Ernest Bjorklund

Roy Ernest Bjorklund was born October 1, 1928 to Robert and Ellen (Johnson) Bjorklund in Underwood Township, Redwood County, MN. He was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith and attended country school near the family farm outside Milroy, MN. His family moved to a farm outside Tracy, MN and Roy attended Tracy Public Schools, graduating from Tracy High School in 1946. On July 18, 1951 Roy married Donna Mae Hay and they made their home on a farm north of Tracy. In 1970 they bought Roy’s parent’s farm just outside of Tracy. Roy farmed with his family as a young man and became a feed nutritionist for Moorman, Peet’s and Standard Feed Companies for many years. Roy was best known for his breeding, training and showing of horses. In 1969 he showed, Rebel Rocket for a horse owner from Montana, to a Grand Championship in the Minnesota Quarter Horse Show that year, which is shown in a photo in “Legends” Volume 4, a book on famous stallions and mares. In 1975 Luverne Johnson and Roy were each half owners of a quarter horse, known as Mac’s Silver Spike, which became an American Quarter Horse Association Champion Halter horse, Superior in Western Pleasure and a performance Register of Merit Award winner. They also received points showing him in the National Cutting Horse Association shows. In 1994 Roy married Donna M. Varpness and they made their home on the Bjorklund farm. In 2001 Roy moved into the Twin Circle Apartments before becoming a resident of the Prairie View Health Care Center in September of 2007. Roy was a member of the Tracy Presbyterian Church, where he served in the past on the church board. He also was a member of the Southwest Trail Riders Association, the Plum Creek Saddle Club of Walnut Grove, MN, the National Cutting Horse Association and the American Quarter Horse Association. He took time to volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program and wrote an article for a monthly publication known as Horse Tails. Roy enjoyed his life with his horses and fishing with his children when they were young. On Sunday, November 11, 2007 Roy died at the Sanford-Sioux Valley Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD at the age of 79. Roy is survived by his three daughters, Sandy (Jerry) Kathman of Milbank, SD, Diane Rundell of Watertown, MN and Tammy (Jon) Aalderks of Spicer, MN; three sons, Rick Bjorklund of Tracy, MN, Tom (Susie) Bjorklund of Waverly, MN and Tim (Sherri) Bjorklund of Tracy, MN; fifteen grandchildren; three great grandchildren; five step-children, Shawn, Stacy, Sherry, Shannon and Stephanie; four sisters, Margaret Marcotte of Minneapolis, MN, Irene (John) McKay of Shoreview, MN, Junie Davis of St. Louis Park, MN, and Ruth (Jack) Sandbo of Scottsdale, AZ; four brothers, Robert of Rice Lake, WI, Jim (Alice) of Gold Canyon, AZ, Ron (Nita) of IL, and Curt of Atlanta, GA; sister-in-law, Joanne Bjorklund of Rice Lake, WI; many nieces, nephews and cousins. His parents, wife, Donna Mae, one son-in-law, Joel Rundell, two sisters, Alice (Gust) Fransen and Mae Elliott and one brother, Kenneth and two brothers-in-law, Don Marcotte and Ed Davis preceded him in death.