Max Detlefsen

Max, the son of first generation German immigrants Hans W. and Therese (Thede) Detlefsen, was born September 22, 1915, in Manning, Iowa. He graduated from Manning High School in 1933 and worked for Dultmeier Manufacturing. Max then attended Coyne Electric School in Chicago for two years. He returned home and worked for the Manning Municipal Light Company. In 1941 he was drafted into the United States Army, where he served for four and a half years, teaching munitions and demolition to recruits at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. On December 27, 1942, Max was united in marriage with Marjorie Smith in Williamsburg, Iowa. The couple met in Manning, where Marge was a Home Economics teacher. After his honorable discharge from the Army in 1945 they lived in Williamsburg for a short time before moving to Manning. Max then worked for Manning Municipal Light Company for several years before buying Schelldorf Electric Shop in 1948, renaming the business Detlefsen Electric. Max and Marge had two children; daughter, Ann (1945), and son, John (1950). Max semi-retired when John took over the business in 1981. Max was a charter member of the Manning Rotary Club, a member of the American Legion, and a volunteer with the Manning Fire Department. With Lyle Arp, he built L & M Bowl in 1960. Max was a passionate fisherman, making annual treks to Minnesota and Canada to fish with friends and family every year from 1950 to 2008. (The big ones never got away!) He also fished in Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. Max was a cutthroat bridge player, an accomplished woodworker, an avid golfer, a devotee of crosswords and Sudoku, and a dedicated sports fan. He especially enjoyed watching his grandchildren play sports, and he supported IKM-Manning teams well into his 90s. (The players, refs, and coaches knew him well!) In 1950 Max and Marge moved into the house he built for them from the ground up - every board, brick and nail. He was fiercely independent and lived in that home until he developed health problems in October 2010, when he was admitted to the Manning Regional Healthcare Center. He died peacefully on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, at the age of 95. Preceding Max in death are his parents; a sister in infancy; sister Ruth Detlefsen in childhood; and brother Heinz "Cotton" Detlefsen and wife Elnor. Max is survived by his wife Marjorie Detlefsen of Manning; daughter Ann Detlefsen and husband Robert Hoehle of Des Moines; son John Detlefsen and wife Gwen of Manning; and three grandchildren: Phillip Detlefsen and wife Kimberly Martin, both Doctors of Chiropractic in St. Michael, Minnesota; Matt Detlefsen of Manning; and Sarah Lloyd and husband Thomas Lloyd III, both Doctors of Chiropractic in West Des Moines; five great grandchildren; relatives and friends. Honorary Bearers Max's Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren Phillip Detlefsen Matthew Detlefsen Sarah Lloyd Max Detlefsen Chase Detlefsen Tommy Lloyd John Lloyd Brooke Detlefsen Fishing Buddies Ron Colglazier Bob Hoehle Darwin Haskins Lyle Junior' Schrum In Memoriam Lyle Arp Glen Jensen Dr. John Hornberger Willis Puck Private Family Committal Service of Cremated Remains Saturday, November 6, 2010 Manning Cemetery Manning, Iowa