Albert Svan Meline

Albert S. Meline, a long time resident of the Hendrum-Perley communities, passed away in the early hours of May 10, 2009, at the home of his youngest son, the Reverend Byron D. Meline of Stewartville, Minnesota. Albert had been in declining health in recent months due to age-related issues and died of congestive heart failure.

Albert was the youngest of six children born to C.G and Martha Meline and the only one to be born in the United States. Not long after the family emigrated from Sweden, Albert was born on a farm where the family was living in Henry County, near Orion, Illinois.

C.G. Meline found work as a farm laborer in Steele County, North Dakota and, while Albert was still very young, the family left relatives and friends in Illinois to build a new life on the prairies of eastern North Dakota. The family traveled by train and arrived in Blabon, North Dakota.

C.G. and Martha worked hard raising their family, renting various farms between the towns of Finley, Hope and Colgate. Albert grew up on these farms, surviving the Spanish flu pandemic and the depression of that era.

When Albert was about six years old, the family moved to Herberg Township in eastern Traill County, North Dakota. He attended elementary school at the Herberg School and later graduated from Hillsboro (ND) High School. After high school, Albert attended Wahpeton State School of Science and studied automotive electronics. Albert then continued to work on that farm in Herberg Township until 1939, when the family decided to buy their own farm in the Hendrum-Perley area.

About a year after the Meline family moved to their farm in Minnesota, Albert was drafted into the US Army Infantry branch and served at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. He was assigned to the 20th Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Division. During a training exercise, Albert suffered a bad injury to a knee and was hospitalized. While he was recovering from his injury, the Division moved out in preparation for deployment overseas. Despite his protests to the contrary, Albert was deemed unfit for combat and was reassigned to the Adjutant Generals Corps where he served until his term of service was up and he was honorably discharged.

After his discharge from the Army, Albert returned to the family farm near Hendrum and married Bernice Dalhaug on July 23, 1944. Bernice was an elementary school teacher from the Twin Valley, MN, area, who had been teaching in various Norman County country schools for several years. Their marriage lasted nearly 62 years.
From 1939 until the 1980s, Albert, together with his brother, John, operated the family farm, raising crops and dairy cattle. Albert, always a conservationist, had a passion for the land and believed strongly in employing sound soil conservation measures. He and John were among the first in the community to adopt minimal tillage measures to minimize soil erosion. Albert served for several years on the Norman County Soil and Water Conservation Board. He thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to serve the community and participate in the process of bringing about more conservation practices within the region.
Albert was an active member and a Past Post Commander of the Holland Swenson American Legion Post 434 and was recognized for over 50 years of membership and service to the community. Even though a civilian for most of his life, Albert was ever the soldier. He always had a positive attitude and refused to accept "can't" in his vocabulary. He was always considerate of the sacrifices of others who also served our nation in the military.
Throughout his life, Albert enjoyed the independent farmer lifestyle. He was innovative and resourceful, coming up with some very interesting solutions to solve machinery problems or other farm-related issues. Before self-propelled combines came on the scene, one of his most noteworthy solutions was to drive an F-20 International Harvester tractor by mechanical remote control from the deck of a Model 17 John Deere pull-type combine. He harvested crops for over twenty years using this equipment solution. He enjoyed attending county fairs, watching cattle judging and inspecting new machinery. Albert was very fascinated with the Big Iron shows in West Fargo, but his favorite venue was the Minnesota State Fair that he attended as often as possible.
In his later years, Albert particularly enjoyed the company of his grandchildren and took great pleasure in watching them grow up. He and his wife, Bernice, were totally dedicated to their family and provided a very solid foundation and set of values as examples. The couple was virtually inseparable and supported the community as a team. They were devoted members of Immanuel Lutheran Church at Hendrum. Albert served on the Church Building Committee when the current church was being built.
Bernice and Albert enjoyed traveling and visiting relatives, particularly their grandchildren wherever they happened to live. They traveled widely in the United States and could often be counted on to show up for special occasions of relatives in various
Albert was preceded in death by all his siblings, brothers Bill, Gust and John Meline; and sisters, Margaret Robinson and Anne Leirness. His devoted and loving wife, Bernice, passed away in May 2006. He is survived by his children, Arlen and wife, Jan
Visitation will be at the Korsmo Funeral Chapel in Moorhead, MN, on Thursday, May 14, 2009, from 5 to 7 PM.
The funeral service will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hendrum, on Friday, May 15, 2009, at 1:30 PM.
Interment will be at the Immanuel Lutheran Church cemetery near Hendrum.