William (Ike) Arie Van Klei

William “Ike” Van Klei age 84 of Garvin, MN died Sunday, August 14, 2011 at Colonial Manor Nursing Home in Balaton, MN. Services will be 11:00 AM Thursday, August 18, 2011 at Victory Christian Church in Balaton. Visitation will be from 5:00 until 7:00 PM, Wednesday, August 17, 2011, with a prayer service at 7:00 PM, at the Almlie Funeral Home in Tracy. Interment will be in the Tracy City Cemetery following a luncheon at the church on Thursday. The Almlie Funeral Home of Tracy is handling the arrangements. William “Ike” A. Van Klei was born March 24, 1927 to William L. and Vivian (Johnson) Van Klei in Worthington, MN, Nobles County. He was baptized in the Christian faith and attended Country School in District #66 near Hadley, MN. He attended Slayton Public School for a year. As a young man he went to work for several area farmers as a farm hand. He then moved to Chicago, IL and began working in the defense factories to support the war effort during WWII. He then entered the US Army and served his country in the United States at the close of the war. After his honorable discharge he lived in New Mexico for a year before returning to the Tracy area. Ike made his home in Garvin, MN and went to work for the Balaton Creamery as a truck driver picking up cream from local farmers. He then worked again as a hired man on many area farms and as a general laborer in the area. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and baseball, giving much of his time to coaching the Garvin Little league program for 23 years. As a coach he did more then just train his players, he also, took them to Minnesota Twins games, designed and made a pitching machine to make them better hitters and in general gave many boys a chance to play organized baseball in a small town. He was a very avid Twins fan, and would talk baseball anytime. Ike developed Multiple Sclerosis and became a resident of the Colonial Manor Nursing Home in Balaton, MN, in December of 1992, where he died Sunday, August 14, 2011 at the age of 84. Ike is survived by his two sisters, Jean Waage of Marshall, MN and Hazel (Cy) Molitor of Lynd, MN; one brother, Jesse “Pete” (Pat) Van Klei of Friendship, WI; nieces, nephews and many friends. His parents, two sisters, Mathilda Kubica and Zelma Benson and one brother, John “Jack” Van Klei preceded him in death.