Delmont Hemmingsen

Delmont "Del" Hemmingsen, age 98, of Erskine, MN, passed away to his Heavenly Home on Wednesday, July 17th, at Essentia Health Hospital in Fosston. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 10th, at Rodnes Lutheran Church, rural Erskine, with the Rev. Joel Smeby officiating. Family will greet friends for one hour prior to the service on Saturday (August 10th) at the church. Arrangements are with Carlin Family Funeral Service of Erskine and messages of condolence may be sent at www.carlinfuneral.com. Del was born in Shawnee, North Dakota on March 10, 1921 to parents Halgor and Amy Hemmingsen. He was the middle child with an older brother and a younger sister. His family farmed and raised cattle, pigs and horses in an area with other Hemmingsen family members.At the age of twelve, his folks moved to Minnesota with the family, locating in Baudette and Roseau. Del was baptized as a baby at home in the Lutheran faith; and confirmed by a blind pastor in Baudette Lutheran Church.In 1939, Del moved to Grand Forks and worked for Dakota Auto, also went to school to become a pilot and was a flight instructor. During the War, he was a civilian flight instructor at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.Del moved to Fosston in 1945, and farmed for a number of years, and began to do aerial crop spraying. In 1954, he went to Mason City, Iowa to Reich Auction School and became a very successful auctioneer, selling many hundreds of auction sales for 40 years over a large area. He was a partner in the Winger Sale Barn for several years in the late 1950's and early 1960's. In 1963, he moved to Moorhead and was a flight instructor for Skroch Aviation of Fargo and became a partner with Earl Martin in the aerial crop spraying business for six years.Del married the love of his life, Audrey Nelson of Erskine, on November 5, 1966, and to this union their son, Delmont, Jr. was born in Moorhead in 1968.Del began going to church, alone, when Pastor Don Ronning was at Kingo Church in Fosston in the middle 1950's; attending Bible study each week eventually became a Sunday School teacher and was voted in as a Deacon. After helping out Pastor Ronning on hospital calls, taking the pulpit for a Sunday service when Pastor Ronning was on vacation, he began being called by many other churches around the area for Sunday services. He spoke in every church in Fosston. In the 1970's, he was an Interim Pastor at a church in Plummer. He taught Senior Bible Study class at Grace Lutheran Church in Erskine, also served as a Deacon - was a member of Grace from 1970 until his death. Del gave his heart to Jesus and served God to the end.In addition to Audrey and Del. Jr., surviving are sons, Dennis (wife, Jan), Roger (wife, Bonnie) of Fosston and two daughters, Ardella (husband, Jerry) McGee, and Sheryl (husband, Tom) Vedbraaten of Crookston. 10 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.Also surviving are brothers and sisters-in-law, Ronnie and Bev Nelson of Erskine, Helen Bertsch of Erskine, John and Joanne Nelson of Waubun; many nieces, nephews; and many cousins in North Dakota; and half-brother-in-law, James (wife, Janet) Holm of Hastings, MN.He was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents, brother and sister; son, Allen and wife Linda; grandson, Paul Hemmingsen; and two baby Hemmingsen.