Eivind (Ivan) B. Lillehoj

Eivind B. Lillehoj

VisitationWednesday, February 14, 2007, After 4:30 PM Ohde Funeral Home Kimballton, Iowa  

Service Thursday, February 15, 2007, 10:3AMImmanuel Lutheran Church, Kimballton, Iowa  

Officiating Reverend Tony D. Ede  

 Music How Great Thou Art?    Our Father Has Light In His Window?  "Abide With Me" "Evening Star" "Precious Lord Take My Hand"Congregation Sherry Hansen, Organist  

 Interment Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Kimballton, Iowa

  Casket BearersKjer Christensen     Rick Hansen     Erik Lillehoj       Clark Rasmussen     Eva Pasqualini         Tom Trettin  

Honorary Casket Bearers Carl Salmons     Joe Esposito     Mike TrettinBernard Kaltoft     Paul Sorensen     Ed Esbeck

   Eivind Bjorn, son of Peter and Johanna (Bjorn) Lillehoj, was born August 11, 1928, in Kimballton, Iowa. He grew up and attended grade school in Kimballton. Eivind then attended high school in Audubon and graduated there with the Class of 1946. He then enlisted in the United States Navy, receiving his honorable discharge in 1948.        Eivind returned to Kimballton, where on October 24, 1948, he was united in marriage with Jeanette Rasmussen at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Four children were born to this union. Eivind and Jeanette lived in Kimballton while he started college, first at Grandview College in Des Moines then transferred to Iowa State University in Ames. The family moved to Ames in 1958 where Eivind continued his studies and earned his doctoral degree in Plant Physiology in 1964. The next year he did post doctoral work at the Carlsberg Laboratories in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1965 Eivind accepted a position as microbiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northern Regional Lab in Peoria, IL. His research involved corn fungus diseases, particularly aflatoxin as a carcinogen. The family lived in Peoria until 1979 when Eivind transferred to the Southern Regional Lab in New Orleans, LA where he continued his research in food safety. Upon his retirement in 1989 from the USDA, Eivind and Jeanette moved back to their hometown of Kimballton where he was very active in community affairs, particularly in promoting the Democratic Party in Iowa. He served on the Audubon County Central Committee of the Democratic Party.       Eivind served on the Danish Immigrant Museum Board, Audubon County Land Development and Economic Development Boards, Audubon County Landfill Commission, Integrated Agri-Energy Board of Atlantic, Cass-Audubon Border Economic Development Board, Danish Villages Economic Development Association (DVEDA) Board and was a member of AMVETS and a life-time member of Iowa State University Alumni Association. He was a devoted member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kimballton where he served as Treasurer and the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery Board.        Eivind was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and was active until the last month before his death. He remained at home in Kimballton with the care of his wife and Cass County Hospice where he died early Saturday morning, February 10, 2007, at the age of 78 years, 5 months and 30 days.        Preceding Eivind in death are his parents; mother and father-in-law Martha and Henning Rasmussen; and brother-in-law Jerome (Pete) Testroet.       He is survived by his wife Jeanette Lillehoj of Kimballton; four children: Catherine Lillehoj and husband Carl Salmons of Des Moines; Erik Lillehoj and wife Hyun of West Friendship, MD; Elizabeth Lillehoj and husband Joe Esposito of Lake Bluff, IL and Christine and husband Mike Trettin of Newton; 10 grandchildren: Eva Pasqualini, Elena Goldberg, Peter Lillehoj, Sylvia Lillehoj, Tom Trettin, Bill Trettin, Dave Trettin, Ben Trettin, John Trettin and James Trettin; three great-grandchildren Peter, Gavin and Natalia Pasqualini; brother-in-law Clark Rasmussen and wife Joanne of West Des Moines; three sisters-in-law: Barbara and husband Bill Bjorn of Creston; Carol and husband John Westwick of Indianapolis, IN; and Laura Testroet and husband Bill Barclay of Key Colony Beach, FL; cousins, other relatives and many friends.