HOWARD M KNUTSON

Howard Melvin Knutson was born on April 19, 1937 at Devils Lake, North Dakota the son of Melvin and Suzanne (Hansen) Knutson. He died on May 29, 2014 at Mercy Hospital, Devils Lake with family and friends at his side. Howard was raised and educated in Devils Lake, graduating from Devils Lake Central High School with the class of 1955. He was active in Band, Football and Basketball and honored for numerous academic achievements. He attended UND, Grand Forks, ND and held a degree in Business Administration and Industrial Engineering. He was married to Mary Jane Bergstrom on August 2, 1959 at Pekin, North Dakota. He began his career with General Electric in 1962 and continued with them until 1982. Howard then joined AVCO Lycoming in Williamsport, Pennsylvania then to Textron where Howard served as President of the company until retiring in 1988. Howard thoroughly enjoyed UND Fighting Sioux Hockey and the Minnesota Twins. However his passion was reading books, magazines and newspapers. Howard is survived by his daughter Elise; sons Paul and Andrew; grandchildren Dorothy Knutson, Torsten Knutson and Clara Reynolds; cousin Gary Knutson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Suzanne. Funeral Services for Howard will be held on Sunday, July 20, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake, ND. Pastor Jeff Kapelle will officiate and burial will be held in the Churchs Ferry Cemetery, rural Churchs Ferry following a gathering of friends and family.