Obituary - Ivar Lund

Ivar Lund passed away peacefully with family by his side at Redlands Community Hospital on Nov. 24, 2015, in Redlands, California.

He was born March 1, 1920, in Havre, Montana, the fourth child of Lena and Olaf Lund, homesteaders originally from Norway. The family resided on a wheat and cattle ranch approximately 50 miles north of Havre.

He attended Cottonwood Country School and later moved to Havre to complete his education at Havre High School and Northern Montana College. When World War II began, Ivar enlisted in the Army along with his two older brothers.

Ivar Lund was sent by train to Fort Lewis in Washington for induction, and proceeded to Camp Roberts in California for basic training. He was then transferred to Camp Maxi, Texas, and positioned in the new 665th Ammunition Company, of which he was the company's first sergeant at the age of 21.

During his time in Texas, Lund married Helen Olson before deploying. Eventually, in 1943, Lund and his company left New York City to head for Europe, and he proudly served his country during historic campaigns such as D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.

Lund initially arrived in Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, but was then discharged to Miles City, Montana, where he reunited with Helen. Once there, he got a job working for the local soil conservation district.

Two years later, Helen and Ivar Lund moved to Circle, Montana, where Ivar purchased the Olson Farm Equipment business from his father-in-law and proceeded to grow the business over the next 53 years before retiring and moving to Redlands. This business, Lund Implement Company, held contracts to sell Case, New Holland, White and Heston.

During this time, Ivar also owned a wheat farm in Brockway, Montana.

Ivar was very active in the Circle community as president of the local school board for many years and as a member of the First Lutheran Church, the Masonic Temple and the Elks Club, among other organizations.

Ivar and Helen moved to Redlands and purchased a home 35 years ago so they could be closer to their grandchildren. For the next 25 years, they spent summers in Montana and winters in Redlands before becoming permanent California residents.

Ivar will be remembered for his loyalty and devotion to family, extraordinary optimism, strong work ethic, courage, determination and generosity. He enjoyed meeting new people and loved a good conversation. Nobody was a stranger for long around Ivar. He had a genuine curiosity about others and a desire to understand the changing world around him.

Ivar is survived by his sister, Ann Miller of Wauneta, Nebraska; daughter, Marilyn Bunnell (Bill) of Redlands, California; son, Jon Lund of Golden, Colorado; granddaughters, Whitney Showler of West Hollywood, California and Kirsten Stevenson (Robert) of Woodland, California; and great-grandsons, Jake Robert Stevenson and Matthew Ivar Stevenson of Woodland, California.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Lena and Olaf Lund; in addition to his brothers, O.B. Lund and Arnold Lund.

Services and interment will be private.