Date of Birth:
Thursday, May 31, 1923
Date of Death:
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Age:
96 years old

Lanis Karel

Lanis Karel passed away May 2, 2020 at Madonna Towers, Rochester.  He was born May 31, 1923 in Leroy, North Dakota, to parents Frank and Stella (Gorman) Karel.   He attended country school through the eighth grade and helped his father and brothers on the family farm.

Lanis married Annabelle Jane Smith on May 18, 1943.  They stayed on the family farm near Leroy during the early years of their marriage and then in 1948 moved to Oklee, MN, where they purchased their own farm. They farmed there for the next 46 years where Lanis served on several boards including Red Lake Electric Co-op, Federal Land Bank, and Soil Conservation board.  In 1994 they retired and moved to Detroit Lakes, MN.  In May, 2017, they moved to Madonna Summit in Byron.

Lanis and Annabelle were dedicated snowbirds who spent almost 40 winters in Apache Junction and Mesa, AZ, enjoying a wide circle of friends.  Lanis was known for making wooden bowls on his lathe and loved to give them away to family and friends.  He and Annabelle also became known as the makers of  thousands of Aggravation game boards, shipping them around the world.

Lanis is survived by his wife of nearly 77 years Annabelle and four children: Karen (Morley) Peterson of West Concord, Louise (Delphus) Hanson of Cushing, Susan Lommen of Rochester, Kevin Karel of Pelican Rapids, plus grandchildren and great-grandchlldren.  He was preceded in death by his twin brother Nick, brothers Lloyd and Willmar, and sister Della.