Harlan Aase

Harlan Thomas Aase was born June 26, 1923 on a farm near Tilden, NE to parents Mons O. Aase, Sr. and Helen (Worre) Aase. He was baptized on June 28, 1923 at the South Branch Lutheran Church. Harlan started school at Oceola, NE but the next summer the family moved to Winner, SD. Throughout his childhood and elementary schooling, the family moved many times between SD and NE. He attended his last three years of high school at Lake Andes and graduated from there. He worked several jobs for farmers from digging potatoes, to milking and driving a team of ornery mules.

In May of 1945, Harlan was drafted into the Army. He only weighed 135 pounds which didn't make the physical guidelines for being 5'10" tall so they adjusted his height to 5'6"! He was stationed in Japan and since he had a high school education and was adept at typing, he was assigned various office jobs including delivering mail to General MacArthur. He was honorably discharged in December of 1946.

He married Myrtle Irene "Kit" Ainsworth in 1955 and they had a son Lee and a daughter Sarah and 2 daughters that died. In 1965, he married Ruth Elaine Grove in Williston, ND. To this union, Sheri Aase-Koska was born.

Harlan worked several jobs including the Soil Conservation Service, worked on pipelines and missile sites, Scott's Engineering, Codington Clark Electric, Human Services Agency ATCO, and the SD Game, Fish and Parks.

Preceding him in death are his parents, his wife Ruth, two daughters Linda and Susan, and two brothers Elwyn and James.