Obituary of Erling H. Jonassen

After an eventful life of nearly a century, Erling H. Jonassen passed away peacefully, his family by his side, on Sunday, November 25, 2018. Erling was an expert ski-jumper, a guerrilla fighter during World War II, a key member of the team that built I-35 between the Twin Cities and Duluth, and a champion lefse maker.

Erling was born in Duluth on May 5, 1919, to Ingvald and Thora Jonassen. He grew up near Chester Bowl and spent many hours skiing and ski jumping. He was a member of the Duluth Ski Club ski jumping team, and traveled throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan for competitions.

He enlisted in the Army in 1939 and was stationed as a mechanic with the 19th Bomb Group near Manila when, just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. The American command surrendered, and hundreds of thousands of American and Filipino prisoners died on the ensuing Bataan Death March. Erling refused to surrender. Instead, he and a few buddies filled a vehicle with food and weapons and drove into the jungle. There they found other GIs and Filipino resistance fighters and formed a guerrilla force which spied on the enemy and provided intelligence to the American command in Australia for more than two years. Although he was offered the chance to escape on a submarine more than once, Erling stayed until MacArthur's forces returned to the islands in 1944. Stateside, he spent months in hospitals after the war, being treated for malaria, beri-beri, and other tropical diseases.

His service is honored at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center, the MacArthur Memorial and Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Library of Congress Veterans History Project. He was also awarded a Presidential Citation and a Bronze Star, and received recognition and gratitude from the Philippine government in 2015.

He attended Curtis Wright Technical Institute and received a certificate as an Aerial Engineer and made his career with the Minnesota Department of Transportation as a Traffic Engineer and as a Right of Way Engineer. Because of his respectful manner, his infectious friendliness, and his generous acceptance of all people, Erling often served as project ambassador, educating communities about the department's future plans.

Erling enjoyed his family, reading history, keeping up on the news, teaching the younger generation how to make lefse, and making new friends. All who knew him were charmed by his sunny disposition, his sparkling wit, and his twinkling eyes as he told a good story.

Erling was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Irene, and his brother Art.

He is survived by his son Mark, daughter-in-law Jan, grandsons Erik and Kevin, and Great Grandchildren Tyler, Wyatt, Anastasia, and Elizabeth; and several loving nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Concordia Lutheran Church, 2501 Woodland Ave. in Duluth on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 11:00 AM, with visitation one hour before.

The family would like to thank St Luke's Hospice for their wonderful care during Erling's short illness. Lastly, special thank you to Cindy Martins for her help in many ways during this difficult time.

Memorial gifts will be donated to St Luke's Hospital Hospice.