Follard E. ’Swede’ Thurn

Follard E. "Swede" Thurn, 78, Moorhead, MN, died on Sunday, June 01, 2008, at Villa Maria Nursing Home under the care of Hospice of the Red River Valley. Follard was born on December 29, 1929, in Bemidji, MN, to Karl and Myrtle Peterson Thurn. He graduated from Crookston High School in 1948. He worked for various contractors in Crookston, MN building houses, garages, grain elevators.Follard married Geraldine "Geri" Hansen on December 26, 1950 in Trinity Lutheran Church in Crookston, MN, a church he helped build. He served in the Army National Guard. He was deployed to Korea and attached to the First Battalion, 32nd Infantry, 7th Division as a Sergeant First Class. He was a Squad Leader for the A & E Platoon, for 7 months. Only days after he shipped home in time for the birth of his daughter, his unit was attacked by Chinese troops. Over half of the unit was fatally wounded. He was awarded the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the Combat Infantry badge, the U.N. Service Medal, the Korean Campaign Ribbon and the U.S. National Defense Medal. Follard and his family moved to Moorhead, MN. He attended Moorhead State College in Moorhead, MN, graduating with a degree in Industrial Education in 1956. He received his Master Degree in Industrial Education from UND Grand Forks in 1970. He taught Industrial Arts at Moorhead Senior High School from 1957 until he retired in 1990. He was active in the American Legion Post 20 at Crookston, MN for 25 years. He was also a member of the International War Veterans Alliance and the Korean War Veterans Association. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and El Zagel Shrine Temple in Fargo, ND. Swede was a very productive master craftsman, building grandfather clocks, canoes, furniture, cabinets and boats. He enjoyed sailing.He spent three summers attending The Wooden Boat School in Maine building a 30' traditional wooden sailing vessel so he could teach wooden boatbuilding skills to his high school students. He was a highly skilled "plumb and square" carpenter who built many homes, during his summer vacations from teaching. He enjoyed photography, leathertooling and making stained glass windows and lampshades. He and Geri enjoyed travelling by car, train, ship or plane, throughout the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Korea, The United Kingdom, Europe, Scandinavia, The Caribbean Islands, US Virgin Islands, Alaska and Hawaii. He also enjoyed many fishing, hunting, canoeing and sailing trips. Follard is survived by his wife, Geri Thurn, Moorhead, MN; daughter, Nancy Kitchens, Key Largo, FL; one grandchild, Nick Kitchens, Portland OR; and his aunt Doris Heuer, Crookston, MN.