A century of connection to SW Minn.
HAROLD MELLENTHIN Oct. 31, 1925 – Oct. 6, 2026
Trending
LYND -- Harold Mellenthin lived most of his 100 years in Lyon County, on the same farm where he was born.
Over that time he raised a family, farmed and worked to support conservation. He was also a source of knowledge about local history, according to neighbors and family members.
Mellenthin died Tuesday at his home in Lynd Township.
At different times, Harold shared stories about his life on the farm with both the Marshall Independent and local columnist Bill Palmer. Some of his recollections showed how farming changed over the past century.
Mellenthin was born and grew up on his family's farm in Lynd Township. He attended country school in the 1930s, and later went to Lynd Public School. He graduated from Lynd High School in 1943.
The Great Depression brought times of hardship for local farmers. In some of Bill Palmer's columns, Mellenthin recalled some of the most difficult seasons in the 1930s.
“(I)n ’33, we had little or no crops. It was just dry, dry, dry," Mellenthin said. He said relief programs helped farm families like the Mellenthins sell hogs in 1933. Farm families also raised livestock like cows and chickens for survival during the Depression years.
Mellenthin told Palmer, "We all had cows and we had some chickens. For a little grocery money, you took a crate of eggs in. The grocery man bought the cream and he bought the eggs and he transferred it into the things you needed that you didn't have."
After graduation, Harold continued farming. He and his wife Elaine were married in 1950. That same year, Mellenthin was also called to active duty in the National Guard during the Korean War. For two years, he served at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
When Harold was honorably discharged, he and Elaine moved back to the farm in Minnesota. Over 62 years, they farmed and raised their own family.
In a 2026 interview with the Independent, Mellenthin said, "Never leaving the farm was always the key and it grew this whole family. And they all did very well."
Mellenthin said he also worked to help supplement farm income. From 1960 to 1970, he worked for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. He also worked for more than 20 years with the Lyon County Soil and Water Conservation District.
“I never regretted it, because of all the good farmer friends I’ve met over the years,” he told the Independent.
Even after retirement, Harold stayed on the family farm, where he lived with his son Jon and Jon's wife Pat. Harold said was able to see all the work going on at the farm from his own "in-law" suite connected to the main house. The spot was pretty near to where his boyhood home stood.
At a celebration of Mellenthin's 100th birthday last fall, family members and neighbors said Harold was known for the stories and memories he shared.
“He’s the neighborhood historian, is what he is,” Francis Maeyaert said at the gathering.
Sandy Buesing said she was a former co-worker of Mellenthin, and was his neighbor for 62 years.
"He was one special man," Buesing said. She said Harold had a level-headed personality, and loved to share history and conversation.
"He was fun, caring and interesting," she said.
A visitation for Mellenthin will be held Sunday, Oct. 11, from 1-2:30 p.m. at Horvath Remembrance Center in Marshall. After the visitation, family and friends are invited to attend a memorial celebration at the Mellenthin farm.