Arthur (Art) Stensland, 94, of Larchwood, Iowa, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, at the Doughtery Hospice House, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Inwood, Iowa.
Arthur was born on the family farm near Larchwood (Klondike), Iowa on March 17, 1930, to Tobias and Inga (Ugland) Stensland, the eighth of ten children. He attended country school near Klondike through eighth grade and then continued to help his parents on the farm. During his youth, Art loved horses, especially his prized horse Princey.
Art served his country in the U.S. Army from October 1951 through September 1953 during the Korean War. He was united in marriage to Rosella Wiebe on March 23, 1952, in Luverne, Minnesota, while he was home on leave.
Following his years in the service, Art worked at John Morrell’s for a short time and then began farming with Rosie by his side. The couple was blessed with six children, three daughters and three sons, all of whom helped on the farm. Milking cows was a huge part of his life for over 50 years beginning at age ten. In addition, Art raised beef cattle and hogs as well as corn, soybeans and alfalfa.
Art gained many carpenter skills over the years as the couple added on to their house several times to accommodate their growing family. He willingly shared these skills with his kids and grandkids as he helped with many of their remodeling projects. After “retiring” from farming, he continued to help on the farm with field work and fix-it projects when his son and grandsons were farming. He was also a meter reader for Lyon County Rural Water for a number of years.
Art was a lifetime member and dedicated servant of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. His faith was important to him, and he was devoted to making sure the church and its properties were well taken care of. Over the years, he served on several church committees and volunteered as the church custodian and bell-ringer. Art also served as the caretaker of Our Savior’s Lutheran Cemetery until the age of 92.
In his later years, Art enjoyed watching the growth and changes on the dairy farm as his grandsons resurrected the milking barn and built a productive business making dairy products including their signature ice cream and cheese. Art supported the dairy industry until the end as he enjoyed a huge bowl of ice cream every night.
Art cherished each one of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and enjoyed attending their events. He also enjoyed sharing Norwegian jokes and telling stories of his long-ago relatives and neighbors, the antics he and his siblings shared, and interesting historical facts about the area.
A highlight for Art was flying with the Honor Flight to Washington, D. C., in 2019. Up until the end of his life, Art was faithful in riding his exercise bike and doing 20 push-ups every day, but he reported that he “cheated” on his push-ups because he did them on his knees.
Art’s life was characterized by a quiet contentment, a happy-go-lucky attitude, and a humble spirit. He did not possess a mean bone in his body and very rarely said a negative word about anyone. Art’s legacy of caring for his land and animals as well as his kind and patient spirit will live on in the hearts of his family members forever. Blessed be his memory.
Grateful for having shared his life are his children, Cindy Koch, Lynette (Doug Bos) Stensland, Doug (Mona) Stensland, Mark Stensland (Jesse Plaetz), Brian Stensland, Lisa Larsen (Phil Jacobson); 17 grandchildren; and 33 great-grandchildren with one more on the way.
Art is reunited in heaven with his wife of 71 years, Rosella (passed away August 21, 2023); his parents; son-in-law Charlie Larsen; and nine siblings and their spouses.
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