James Lehrke

FUNERAL SERVICES : will be held at 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Park Rapids, MN with Reverend James Neubauer officiating.VISITATION : will be held from 5 - 7:00 P.M., Tuesday. June 8, 2010 at Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids, MN and one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday, June 9, 2010.INTERMENT : will be made at Greenwood Cemetery in Park Rapids, MN.SURVIVORS :Jim is survived by his loving wife Bonnie, 5 children: Dan (Truda) Lehrke of Hawley, MN, Tim (Angie) Lehrke of Ogema, MN, Misty (John) Hockett of Sebeka, MN, Julie (Warren) Braaten of West Fargo, ND and Linda (Brandon) Burbidge of Wahpeton, ND; 3 grandchildren: Annalise, Clayton and Weston Lehrke; one brother, Charlie (Ruth) Lehrke of Park Rapids, MN; 2 sisters: Margie Tretbar of Ponsford, MN and Alberta Davis of Fort Wayne, IN along with many other relatives and friends. JAMES FREDERICK LEHRKEMay 24, 1930 ~ May 31, 2010 James Frederick Lehrke, age 80, of Park Rapids, MN passed away Monday, May 31, 2010 at the Heritage Living Center in Park Rapids. Jim was born to J. Fred and Emma (Pritchard) Lehrke on May 24, 1930. He was born and lived his entire life on the family farm in Green Valley Township, southwest of Park Rapids. He attended District #110 Country School just down the road from the family farm. It was Jim"s job to get the fire started in the mornings at the school since he lived so close. He also enjoyed raising horses when he was growing up. Jim married Bonnie Murphy on October 28, 1964 in Park Rapids, MN. They were very blessed with five children: Dan, Tim, Misty, Julie and Linda. Jim worked on the farm his entire life and was extremely proud of his herd of Brown Swiss dairy cattle. He milked dairy cattle and raised the crops to feed his herd for nearly 60 years. Jim enjoyed working on the farm and tinkering with machinery. He retired from farming in 1987. Jim loved picnics and other family gatherings. Jim is survived by his loving wife Bonnie, 5 children: Dan (Truda) Lehrke of Hawley, MN, Tim (Angie) Lehrke of Ogema, MN, Misty (John) Hockett of Sebeka, MN, Julie (Warren) Braaten of West Fargo, ND and Linda (Brandon) Burbidge of Wahpeton, ND; 3 grandchildren: Annalise, Clayton and Weston Lehrke; one brother, Charlie (Ruth) Lehrke of Park Rapids, MN; 2 sisters: Margie Tretbar of Ponsford, MN and Alberta Davis of Fort Wayne, IN along with many other relatives and friends. Jim was preceded in death by his parents and 3 sisters: Isabelle Stevens, Esther Luckason and Dorothy Thorpe. Funeral services will be held 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Park Rapids with Reverend James Neubauer officiating. Visitation will be held from 5 " 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids, MN and one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday. Casketbearers will be: Larry Luckason, Paul Tretbar, Don Tretbar, Terry Tretbar, David Lehrke, Ron Lehrke, Stan Lehrke and Gary Pritchard. Honorary casketbearers will be his grandchildren: Annalise, Clayton and Weston Lehrke. A luncheon will be hosted by St. Johns Lutheran Church following the service. Interment will be made at Greenwood Cemetery in Park Rapids, MN.