Monte Knudson

Monte Knudson, 84, of Marshalltown, Iowa, formerly of LeGrand, passed away on July 18, 2022, at Iowa River Hospice House. Services will be held Friday, July 22, at 11 am at Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Burial will follow in the Stavanger Cemetery south of LeGrand. Friends may call at MFFH from 5-7 pm on Thursday, July 21. For those unable to attend, services will be available at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell-Family-Funeral-Home-99280714047/. Please be patient as not all services begin promptly at the start time. If there are any technical difficulties with the livestream, a recording of the services will be uploaded to the page at a later time. Thank you for understanding! Monte Louis Knudson was born on May 21, 1938, to Louie and Beatrice (Winterowd) Knudson in Marshalltown. They lived in New Sharon for five years until moving to the rural LeGrand area in 1943. He received his education in the Dunbar Schools and graduated from Dunbar High School in 1955. He attended the University of Iowa and joined the National Army Reserve in 1957. He married Charlene Chinn in April of 1958 and they went on to have two beautiful daughters, Kelly and Ann. The family lived in California and Arizona briefly before settling back in the area where he was raised. He was united in marriage to Ruth Baker in June of 1986. During the course of his career, he farmed with his father, prepared individual income taxes, worked in sales at Western Manufacturing for 25 years, and then came full circle, moving to the family farm with Ruth in 1998 after his parents passed. He loved farming and continued to work at that full-time before retiring and moving to Marshalltown two years ago. Even though he was an only child, he never felt lonely as he was surrounded by first cousins, four of whom lived directly across the gravel road from him. He had a childhood filled with fun adventures exploring the buildings, groves, and fields of his farm on his horse. He was always up for mischief and a good prank. As he got older he helped with farm chores and showed championship steers at the Tama County Fair. His lifelong love of farming was cemented in those formative years. As an adult, he loved to play billiards, go hunting, watch college basketball, and enjoyed dining out. He was actively involved in his church community – a longtime member of Carlton Brethren Church in Garwin and a current member of Grace Community Church in Toledo. He was a speaker and mentor to many in Alcoholics Anonymous, and was proud of his 31 years of sobriety. His greatest passion was for his family, particularly his five grandchildren. He loved nothing more than spending time with them and would jump at the chance to travel to their homes to stay with them when their parents were away. He was interested in every detail of their lives, laughing at their antics, bantering and teasing with them, listening patiently, providing supportive guidance, and ultimately beaming at their accomplishments. He was the best “Grampy.” Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 36 years, Ruth Ann Knudson; his children: Kelly (Dale) Renner of Boston, MA, and Ann (Greg) Carlson of Kansas City, MO; his stepchildren: Joy (Paul Bordovsky) Baker of Colonial Beach, VA, and Scott Baker of Marshalltown; his grandchildren: Daniel (Katie) Renner, Lissa (Chris) Curtin, John (Jack) Renner, Mitchell Carlson (fiancee Kelsey Tarwater), and Chad Carlson; and his great granddaughter Madison Curtin. The family appreciates the end of life care Monte received at UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown Hospital and Iowa River Hospice. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Grace Community Church, Toledo; Iowa River Hospice House, Marshalltown; Greater Iowa Chapter – Alzheimer's Association, Des Moines. - lovingly written by the family