Michael Gudmunson, of Watertown, SD, passed away on May 2, 2026, in Mesa, AZ. A funeral service will be held on June 13, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Crocker Lutheran Church in Crocker, South Dakota. A time of fellowship and a meal will be held following the service. Interment will take place in St. Thomas Cemetery, also in Crocker. Furness Funeral Home is assisting the Gudmunson family with arrangements.

Michael James Gudmunson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 27, 1943 to Laura (Peters) and Clarence Gudmunson, joining his brother Charles, and sister Clarice. His childhood was spent in Minneapolis, first over north and eventually in the Corcoran neighborhood of South Minneapolis. After graduating from Roosevelt High School, he became a Marine at MCRD San Diego in 1961.

While in the Marine Corps his first duty station was MCAS Iwakuni, Japan working as a firefighter on the crash crew. Subsequently he was stationed at MCAS Cherry Point, NC working in the brig (as a guard) while also occasionally serving as a member of the honor guard detail in the surrounding community.

Following his discharge in 1966, he worked 6 weeks at Commutator Foundry in Minneapolis where he realized he might want a job with better long-term prospects. He got a job at Northwestern Bell working in the cable cutting yard. As it turned out, the phone company was where he worked the next 32 years, eventually managing the cable yard before taking a quieter role delivering the interoffice packages on the third shift.

It was at the phone company that he met Darlene Streu. Michael would say that he knew immediately that she was the one. Darlene would say she was the only one of the office staff relaying cable orders that didn’t find him unpleasant to deal with. They were married on April 3, 1981. Kyle was born in 1979 and Seth in 1983.

A lifelong car and motorcycle enthusiast, Michael owned a series of sports cars and motorcycles that suspiciously disappeared at roughly the same time Kyle and Seth were born. These were replaced by economy cars and a camper on the back of his truck. The family loved road trips, camping and exploring state and national parks.

Michael was also a devoted car racing fan, especially NHRA drag racing and the Indianapolis 500 where he has had annual tickets starting in 1973 through this day. In the handful of years that he couldn’t make it to the race, there was always a watch party arranged.

Michael was an avid bird hunter and especially enjoyed hunting pheasants in South Dakota. His most loyal companion was always an English Springer Spaniel, including a series of very good dogs over the years. He also always had a soft spot for a house cat and they were just as well loved.

In 1998, Darlene and Michael both retired and moved to Watertown, South Dakota in no small part due to the proximity to pheasants and friends. They purchased a beautiful Victorian home on the edge of town. For the next 20 years they lovingly maintained that house, practically a full-time job in itself.

Michael volunteered regularly with the Dakota Sportsman Organization in Watertown and with the Men’s Group at Crocker Lutheran Church in Crocker. He took special pride in fundraising meals and honed a specific kitchen task for each.

Having seen enough winters, in 2013 Michael and Darlene purchased a second home in San Tan Valley, Arizona. Splitting time between locations, Michael found joy in (smaller) house projects, sitting in the backyard sun mid-winter, often with his beloved grandchildren Stevie and Jude, and feeding the Gambrel quail that would make their way out of the desert wash whenever they heard his voice.

Michael lived a life filled with loyalty, humor, love, family and lifelong friendships.