Elwood C. Koelder

Elwood C. Koelder, 79, of Milford, formerly of Mason City, passed away Friday, November 29, 2024, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 6, 2024, at 5 p.m., at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 North Pennsylvania. Services will be livestreamed on Major Erickson’s Facebook page. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. 

Elwood Charles Koelder was born on January 8, 1945, in Hampton, Iowa, to parents Henry and Luella (Rodemeyer) Koelder. Elwood grew up on a dairy farm in rural Latimer, and graduated from Latimer High School in 1963, where he was active in baseball and basketball.

Elwood was united in marriage to Janice Harrison, and three daughters were born to this union: Renee, Christine, and Dawn. The couple later divorced. Later, Elwood married Lois Haberman, and the couple were blessed with one son: Thomas.

After graduation, Elwood attended electronic technician school in Des Moines. He then moved to Mason City, where he worked as a salesman, a truck driver for a company in Milford, a financial advisor, and most recently, he worked for Boehnke Pilot Car Service until his retirement in 2021.

In his free time, Elwood was a volunteer firefighter for the city of Milford, he was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford, where he sang in the choir and volunteered in the kitchen. He enjoyed golfing, watching NASCAR, was an avid Iowa Hawkeye, Minnesota Vikings, and Minnesota Twins fan, and loved talking about politics. Elwood will be forever remembered by his kind spirit, his love of the Lord, and the love he had for his family. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him and loved him.

Elwood is survived by his children, Renee (Jim) Boehnke, Christine Dusold, Dawn (Jon) Ericson, and Thomas (Erica) Koelder; grandchildren, Kelsey (Manuel) Hernandez, Andrew Boehnke, Joshua Simkins, Brandon (Michelle) Simkins, Lindsay (Devon) Truax, and Cooper Ericson; great grandchildren, Eli, Maverick, and Marshal; and sister, Arlis Koelder.

Elwood was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Luella Koelder.