Rodney L. Torkelson
Rodney Lowell Torkelson, 70, of Farmersburg, passed away on Friday, July 18, 2025. Upon medical examination, he was found to have an enlarged heart and suffered a heart attack. It appears that he was headed down the basement stairs to stow a recently purchased bottle of reduced price Barefoot Fruitscato Peach wine. He seems to have sat down on the stairs, laid down and passed away relatively quickly and peacefully. The medical examiner found no evidence of trauma or a fall and the wine was found still upright next to him on the stairs. He was certainly not one to waste a perfectly good drink.
Rod was born Jan. 9, 1955, the youngest of three children born to Quentin and Ruby (Gunderson) Torkelson. He was raised and lived his entire life on the farm in the house which he still resided at the time of his passing. Save for a few years in college, he spent nearly every night of his life in that house. In 1973 he graduated from MFL High School and went on to attend Iowa State University for electrical engineering. At Iowa State he was a member of the Beta Sigma Si Fraternity. He spoke often and fondly of his time and friends in Ames and at the fraternity. He worked at a Target store and a TV repair shop in Monona. He later worked nights for several years at Cabela’s in Prairie du Chein. Mostly Rod’s vocation was farming. He was proud to win “Grand Champion Rate of Gain” awards multiple times. He raised both livestock and crops. His land is mostly rented to his nephew now, but the farm largely looks as it has for decades populated with Angus cattle and Oliver tractors.
Feb. 14, 1981, Rodney was united in marriage to Diane Johnson. Though it ended in divorce, they remained amicable and together raised three boys, Travis, Daniel and Andrew. He was not shy to say that, without a doubt, his three children and 10 grandchildren were the absolute best part of his life. Near to his love for family was his devotion to God. He was an active member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkader. Above his bed was found a row of books covered in dust, clearly untouched for years, but all the way to the left on that shelf was a well worn study bible with numerous bookmarked pages. It was dirty from regular handling and the binding had been repaired with duct tape. Rod’s favorite form of praise was song. You could always hear his voice in church and he sang with the Keystone Men’s Chorus for over 40 years. He was a member of several quartets over the years and appeared in a few plays with the Opera House Players of Elkader. He could regularly be found at a local barstool harmonizing with the jukebox. Rod was a very kind person. If he ever offended anyone, it was almost certainly due to his awkwardness and not malice. He enjoyed looking at the stars and often kept his farm completely dark so as to not obstruct his view at night. Some of his other hobbies were motorcycles, snowmobiles, being outdoors, listening to rock music, attending auctions where he was always good for the $1 bid and cars with manual transmissions. Like so many others, he wished for the car of his youth. In his case, a Pontiac Lemans, although he would have also been happy with the Chevy Vega that followed it. Planning and dreaming were two of his most common pastimes. Perhaps it was his short run as an engineer or maybe it was just his natural way. Either way, he would dream and design projects for years, often acquiring the necessary materials, but rarely finishing or even starting. When he did take a project from dream to completion, you can be sure it worked and worked well. What remains of his life may be lots of un-started and unfinished projects, but his legacy as a father and grandfather will carry him far into the future and his devotion to God will carry him into eternity.
Surviving Rod are his three sons, Travis (Jennifer), Daniel (Tiffany) and Andrew (Katherine), all of Farmersburg; 10 grandchildren, Isabella, Quentin, Oliver and Vincent, Veda and Wyatt and Oscar, Milton, Ivan and Ruby; siblings, Rita Bente and Roger (Geralyn) Torkelson; and nieces and nephews, Anne (Chris) Blaylock, Gail (Beau) Hendry, Annette (Chad) Davis and Richard (Heather) Bente.
Preceding Rod in death were his parents, Quentin and Ruby Torkelson; brother-in-law, Glen R. Bente; and nephew, Greg Bente.
A memorial service with a visitation was held on July 26, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkader, with Rev. Kate Johnson as the officiant.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date at the farm.
Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Monona is assisting the family with services.
