Roald Columbus Mona

Roald Columbus Mona, 82, died peacefully on Monday, July 18, 2011 at Shorewood Commons Assisted Living Center in Rochester, Minnesota.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011 at Lands Lutheran Church in Zumbrota with Pastor David Krinke officiating. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 1 at the Mahn Family Funeral Home - Larson Chapel in Zumbrota, and one hour prior to the service at the church.

Roald was born on November 10, 1928 in rural Kenyon, Minnesota to Edward and A. Manda (Mathison) Mona. The youngest of seven children, Roald was still a toddler when first Manda (a nurse) then Edward (a farmer) succumbed to tuberculosis in 1930-31. After their passing, Roald lived for a brief time with his grandmother Mathison in Toronto, S.D, before returning to Minnesota to live with his Uncle Oscar and Aunt Ellen Mathison of rural Zumbrota, who raised him as a son alongside their daughters, Iva and Delpha. Schooled first in a one-room country school with the other farm kids, Roald later attended and graduated from Zumbrota High School in 1946.

Roald worked on the family dairy farm until the Korean War, when he enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard. In January of 1951 his unit was activated and sent to Camp Rucker, Alabama. That summer mutual friends introduced Roald to Patricia Lee of Dade City, Florida. Roald and Pat were married on September 14, 1952 at the First Presbyterian Church in Dade City, FL. After honeymooning their way up the east coast, they traveled to Minnesota and the family farm, where they made their home for the next fifty-plus years, along the way raising four sons and a daughter. A lifelong farmer and devoted family man, Roald was never happier than when on the seat of a tractor or with a child or grandchild bouncing on his lap.

While he enjoyed the solitary sunrises, steady routine of chores, and the predictable change of seasons in the fields, Roald also got great pleasure from "going into town" to visit with his many lifelong friends. He served for decades on the Minneola Township Board, could often be found at local Friday night fish fries, and tried to never miss a small town corn roast, chicken feed, county fair or parade. Always ready to stop and chat, his ready smile and warm nature continually made him new friends. Raised in the days when it perhaps wasn't considered manly to show emotion, Roald never hesitated to declare his love for his family - the "I love you" he always told his children at parting so routine it was nearly taken for granted.

While Pat's medical needs necessitated their move to Rochester in late 2009, Roald was thrilled to be able to enjoy a few last trips back to Zumbrota and the countryside in recent months. But life just wasn't the same since the love of his life passed on last fall, and his children take comfort in the belief that the loving parents they were blessed with are reunited once again.

Roald is survived by five children, James (Karen) Mona of Hutchinson, John (Heathermarie) Mona of Zumbrota, Jerold Mona of Batavia, IL, Laurie Mona of Zumbrota, and Joel Mona of Wabasha; fifteen grandchildren, Jennifer (Phillip) Evans, Tracy (Brian) Scherping, Mitchell (Sonia) Koval, Daniel Mona, Christopher Koval, Uriah Flowers, Ethan Mona, Isaac Mona, Ahnna Mona, Kyle Grimsrud, Benjamin Grimsrud, William Grimsrud, Rachel Mona, Rebecca Mona, and Ryan Mona; three great-grandchildren, Taryn Evans, Arcadia Evans and Jace Evans; his sister, Rosalie McElroy of Sacramento, CA, cousin/sisters Iva Dodson of Northfield, MN and Delpha Napier of Bloomington, MN, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, brothers Reuben and Gordon, and sisters Ruth, Alpha and Rachel. Memorials are preferred to Lands Lutheran Church.