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Earl Robert Hasselquist, age 87, of River Falls, WI passed away peacefully on November 10, 2017 in River Falls, Wisconsin after a several year struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Earl is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joyce L. Hasselquist; son, Dr. Bruce (Jan) Hasselquist; grandchildren, Erik (Gwen) Hasselquist, Sarah (Jesse) Peterson, David, Matthew and Stephen Goldenberg; great-grandchildren, Fisk and Maeve Hasselquist and Ezra Peterson; and nephews and nieces.
He is preceded in death by his daughter, Dr. Susan M. (Michael Goldenberg) Hasselquist; brothers, Carl (Lorraine) Hasselquist and Paul (Olivia) Hasselquist; sisters, Alma Hasselquist and Mildred (Luverne) Tengbom.
Earl was born on March 4, 1930 in Center City, Minnesota, to parents, Oscar and Harriet Hasselquist. He bought the family dairy farm in Center City and farmed until 1962, when a farming accident forced him to make a new start in River Falls, Wisconsin. He subsequently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in education earned his master’s degree in 1969. He began his teaching career at Stillwater Junior High in 1966, where he taught junior high mathematics until his retirement in 1991.
He married Joyce Rundquist on August 25, 1951. Earl was a dedicated husband and a loving father and grandfather. He was a member of First Covenant Church in River Falls and served on a number of church boards. At home, he enjoyed working in the yard, especially with his favorite roses.
A Memorial Service was held Friday, November 17, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at First Covenant Church (1374 North Main Street) River Falls, WI, with visitation one hour prior to the service. Private family interment in Greenwood Cemetery. Arrangements are with Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services of River Falls.
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I greatly admired Earl’s strength in being able to overcome his farm accident, go back and get a GED and then a masters while raising two small children. I will always remember Christmas when the kids were young and he would bring out the old cow bells from the farm and try to convince the kids Santa was coming, and how he promised to protect Susan from her cousins’ shenanigans on our wedding day. Earl, may you rest in peace.
My wife and I were just talking about Mr. Hasselquist the other day. So sad to find that he has passed on. Not only was he one of my all-time favorite teachers, but he was also a wonderful coworker of mine when I was hired as a Stillwater Junior High School staff member. When the teachers would return to work in mid to late August, most of them would be running around like bees near a bee hive. Not Earl. I’d stop by his classroom and notice him reading the newspaper at his desk. I’d ask him if there was anything I could do for him to get ready on Day 1. His reply? “Nope, nothing has changed since I left my classroom last June, Dale.” 🙂
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