Obituary of Willard J. Falk

Willard J. Falk, 97, of rural Cambridge passed away on Thursday, December 1, 2016 at the home farm which he was born. He was born May 4, 1919 in Blomford, MN to Edward and Amanda (Nord) Falk. Willard grew up on the family farm and attended District 24 Country School in Blomford. He helped out on the family farm before joining the U.S. Army in October 1941, shortly after, transferred to the U.S. Army Air Force. Willard served in World War II and was honorably discharged in December 1945. On April 15, 1950, he married Ruthie Olson, his wife of 66 years. They lived in Cambridge before moving to Braham, where Willard worked as a mechanic at Braham Ford Motors. Willard and Ruthie took a trip to Alaska in 1952 to visit his sister. While there, they got jobs at the University of Alaska Experimental Station. Willard became the maintenance man and Ruthie a cook. Their daughter, Heidi, was born in Fairbanks. In September 1954, they returned to Blomford and bought a farm where they remain. They farmed, raised dairy cattle, and cooked maple syrup from the maple trees on the farm. Willard would go on to work in carpentry. He was a man that could fix most anything and always loved a challenge to figure things out. His passion was working with wood. He spent many hours sawing and milling his own logs into lumber on his sawmill. He was always there to lend a hand, a tool, or offer advice. If he wasn't working on a project, he was reading about history, weather, and astronomy. He continued to work into his mid 80's before retiring. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Bertel, Clifton and Herbert Falk, sisters Inez Herring, Viona Sandstrom, Evelyn Falk, Regina Eastlund and Ardys Johnson. Willard is survived by his wife Ruthie of Cambridge, daughter Heidi Zimmer (Ernie Trujillo) of Tucson, AZ, two grandsons; TJ Zimmer of Tucson, Chris Zimmer of Santa Barbara, CA, brother Irwin Falk of Cambridge, as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. The family would like to thank Allina Home Health and Hospice, and Visiting Angels for their wonderful compassionate care.