James Charles Mahlen

James C. "Jim" Mahlen, age 66, Clark, died in the Department of Veterans Affairs - Ft. Meade Hospital on Thursday, September 8, 2011 after suffering an apparent stroke earlier in the week while in Sturgis. Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM in the St. Paul Lutheran Church at Clark with The Reverend Robin Schaunaman officiating. The organist will be Dorothy Fuller with the congregation singing, "Here I Am Lord" and "On Eagle's Wings". Urn-bearers will be Gary Kruthoff and Roger Christofferson. Active bearers will be his grandchildren and honorary bearers all of his family and friends. Full military honors will be held following the services at the Church with honors from the American Legion Baker Post #209 - Raymond, VFW Post #750 - Watertown and the South Dakota Army National Honor Guard - Honors Detail Team participating. Burial will be private. Memorial visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 from 4-7PM at the Furness Funeral Home Chapel in Clark. He was born on December 19, 1944 at Webster, the son of Julius and Ethel (Brown) Mahlen. Jim grew up on a farm west of Roslyn attending country school and then went to high school in Roslyn, graduating in 1962, home of the Roslyn Vikings! He became a part of the United States Air Force on December 31, 1962 and served his country honorably until July 9 of 1964. He returned to South Dakota and began employment with Allied Van Lines. Jim met Kay Fonken in 1967 and they were married on July 20 of 1968 at Willow Lake. The couple lived in Webster where he worked for Fritz Grosek and then they moved to Garden Grove, CA where they lived and Jim worked for Strand Excavating. They later moved to Sonoma, CA where he worked for E K Excavating, a company specializing in digging swimming pools. In 1980 they returned to South Dakota and owned and operated Mahlen Truck Stop. Jim later worked at McCain Foods in Clark and after the plant closing, he semi-retired to do construction/carpentry work for many area individuals and has been the Clark County Veterans Service Officer for several years, something he thoroughly enjoyed and will long be remembered for. His free moments consisted of fishing with family and friends, taking an annual motorcycle trip with his friends, the "Click", going to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, reading and doing woodworking projects. He was a Charter member of the CCR - Clark County Riders where he was known as Jose'. Jim will long be remembered as the "Guy in the Purple Truck" - being an avid fan of the Minnesota Vikings - watching the games on Sunday with his grandsons. He loved spending time with his grandchildren, family and friends. He was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church at Clark, the American Legion Baker Post 209 of Raymond and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Preceding him in death were his parents, Julius and Ethel Mahlen and his sisters, Joyce and Darlis. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife Kay, children, Kacey (Jeff) Hoffman all of Clark, Amy Mahlen and Maggie (Tracy) Palmer all of Sturgis; 5 grandchildren, Samantha (Tony) Christiansen, Dale James Hoffman and Chance, Chasity and Chess Terrill. He also leaves siblings, Marlene Wendelsdorf of Olive Branch, Mississippi and Janice (Warren) Brandlee of Clark. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to the charity of your choice. For further information, please go to www.furnessfuneralhome.com