Norman Lee Senstad

On June 26, 1934, Norman Lee Senstad was born to Olgar Norman Senstad and Ann (Grafstrom) Senstad in Denver, CO. As a child, he showed an affinity for wildlife. He allowed a chipmunk invasion into the home, feeding the creatures until they would wander up, expecting handouts every day. He also snuck a mouse into the house to raise as a pet…his mom found out when it ran into her kitchen, expecting her to feed it! Not all of his animal encounters were positive; his relatives had a goose that liked to chase and bite him. One day, the goose disappeared…at least until someone had to use the outhouse, and heard a funny honking from below… Although he was born in Colorado, Norm spent most of his life in Minnesota. The family travelled quite a bit, but many of his best memories came from the small town of Strandquist, Minnesota. Norm graduated high school in Strandquist with the fourth highest GPA in his class (there were only six kids in the class). He frequently reminded his children that he learned of the benefit of hard work, pointing out that he picked potatoes for every harvest from the age of 12 until he graduated from high school. After graduation, Norman worked for a short term at Pillsbury, then enlisted in the Army during the Korean War. After basic training, he was shipped off to Korea, and completed the remainder of his service in Korea until his return to the United States. Upon returning stateside, he returned to work at Pillsbury, but also was accepted at Northwestern technical college to study electronics. Despite working and going to school full time, he still had a chance to meet a girl. He met Joyce Midthun at a dance at the Marigold, and on October 5, 1956, he married her. Upon graduation, Norm was hired by Univac, and shortly thereafter was hired away by Burroughs corporation, and later Sylvania. Due to the nature of his employment (he helped computerize U.S. air and missle defense systems) he and Joyce travelled much of the country, from North Dakota to the East Coast to Arizona. On the way, they had two sons, Allen (8/30/57) and David (8/11/59). In Arizona, Norman and Joyce had their third son, Scott. Unfortunately, he died, less than a month old, in 1962. After further travels, Norman and Joyce felt it was time to settle down in one spot, and Norman was hired by EMR, an electronics corporation in Bloomington, Minnesota. The family remained there for several years, and expanded to include Russell (9/13/65) and Kristen (2/9/70). In 1973, Norm tired of being a computer engineer, and purchased and developed Lake Carlos Marina near Alexandria, Minnesota. Although the change was significant, the family adapted and made the Marina a thriving business in our resort area. In 1990, Norman and Joyce sold the Marina, but kept a small farm they had purchased nearby. Norm continued to drive school bus for District 206, and taught school bus safety throughout the state, until he took an early retirement at the age of 62 to allow Joyce and himself the opportunity to travel the country, as they had planned for years. They were able to travel for a short time. However, Joyce’s colon cancer returned after initial remission. She passed away on May 6, 1998. Norman worked hard at returning to a normal life after this loss, including meeting some dear friends for dinner and dancing. At one of these dances, he met Charlotte Guse, who became the second love of his life. Charlotte and Norm travelled many winters to Arizona, and spent their summers (through deer hunting season) in Minnesota. Through time of health and times of hardship, they have been there for each other. Char was at Norm’s bedside when he passed away on May 8, 2015. Norman always believed in serving his community, whether it was through the Young Jaycees or Elks in Arizona, or the VFW, American Legion, SCORE, or a computer club here in Alexandria. He was preceded in death by: his wife Joyce (Midthun) Senstad; his son Scott Senstad; his parents Norman and Ann Senstad; his sister Marianne (h.Forrest) Albee; and his brother Douglas Senstad. He is survived by: longtime companion Charlotte Guse; son Allen Senstad (Karin (Johnson) Senstad, and Marissa and Matthew); son David Senstad ( Pamela (Williams) Senstad, and Amy (h.Brandon) Hawkins, Amy’s Gabriel Hawkins, and Daniel); son Russell Senstad (Angela (Lilly) Senstad, and Jacob, Elizabeth and David); and daughter Kristen (h. Cory) Mikkelson (Sara (h.Kevin) Whitis, Sara”s Austin and Hayden Whitis, Enna (h. Garran) Magnuson, and Enna’s Gemma Magnuson , and Megan); and sisters Georgia (h. Robert)Cleveland and Deanna Senstad .

Norman Lee Senstad

June 26, 1934 - May 8, 2015