Visitation: Visitation, with family present, will be Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran

Service: A Celebration of Art’s Life will begin at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, August 21 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, rural Inwood, IA.

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            Arthur (Art) Stensland of Larchwood, Iowa, 94, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at the Doughtery Hospice House, Sioux Falls, SD.

            Arthur was born on the family farm near Larchwood (Klondike), Iowa on March 17, 1930 to Tobias and Inga (Ugland) Stensland, the eighth of ten children.  He attended country school near Klondike through eighth grade and then continued to help his parents on the farm.  During his youth, Art enjoyed playing and working on the farm and was included in many shenanigans with his older siblings.  He loved horses, especially his prized horse Princey.  While eating at the Drive-In in Canton one day, he spied a pretty brunette named Rosie who waited on him.  After several years of courtship, they were joined in marriage on March 23, 1952 while Art was home on leave from the Army.  Art served his country in the Army from October 1951 through September 1953 during the Korean War.  After their marriage, he was stationed in Germany where he drove trucks and delivered supplies until his discharge.

            Following his time in the service, Art worked at John Morrell’s for a short time and then began farming with Rosie by his side.  The couple was blessed with six children, three daughters and three sons, all of whom helped on the farm.  Milking cows was a huge part of Art’s life for over 50 years beginning at age 10.  He witnessed many changes during that time, from milking cows by hand to the use of robots when the grandsons began milking many years later.  In addition to milking cows, Art raised beef cattle and hogs as well as corn, soybeans and alfalfa.  Art’s kids remember well the many hours spent helping him (and fighting with each other) in the dairy barn.  They can still hear Art whistling and singing tunes while milking cows in the barn.

            Art gained many carpenter skills over the years as the couple added on to their house several times to accommodate their growing family.  He willingly shared these skills with his kids and grandkids as he helped with many of their remodeling projects.  After “retiring” from farming, he continued to help on the farm with field work and fix-it projects when his son and grandsons were farming.  He was also a meter reader for Lyon County Rural Water for a number of years.

                Art was a lifetime member and dedicated servant of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.  His faith was important to him, and he was very devoted to making sure the church and its properties were well taken care of.  Over the years, he served on several church committees and volunteered as the church custodian and bell-ringer.  Art was also the caretaker of Our Savior’s Lutheran Cemetery for many years and served in this role until age 92.  Every week during the summer months, he drove his Farmall H tractor with its belly mower from his place to the church cemetery to mow and trim so that it looked nice for Sunday services.  A few years ago, he told his kids about an unmarked gravesite in the cemetery.  It bothered him that there was no marker to identify the deceased person.  Art checked the cemetery records, found the correct name, and then arranged to have a small marker made for the grave.

             Art and Rosie greatly enjoyed visiting with friends and family.  During family get-to-togethers, the Stensland laugh could be heard loud and clear.  They were long-time members of a pinochle card club and also played cards with other friends several times a week.  Art and Rosie always made sure everyone felt welcomed into their home and took time to visit and help shut-ins.

             In his later years, Art enjoyed watching the growth and changes on the dairy farm as his grandsons resurrected the milking barn and built a productive business making dairy products including their signature ice cream and cheese.  He enjoyed walking up the hill to the barn and store/warehouse to check things out and often made an appearance at the farm tours.  Art supported the dairy industry until the end as he enjoyed a huge bowl of ice cream every night (and often twice a day).  The freezer was always stocked with Stensland ice cream in a variety of flavors.

            As he lost siblings and friends throughout the years, Art enjoyed making the rounds to visit his nieces and nephews.  He cherished each one of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and enjoyed attending their events.  He enjoyed sharing Norwegian jokes and telling stories of his long-ago relatives and neighbors, the antics he and his siblings shared, and interesting historical facts about the area.

            A highlight for Art in 2019 was flying with the Honor Flight to Washington, D. C.  where he enjoyed seeing all of the Memorials as well as visiting with other veterans.

Up until the end of his life, Art was faithful in riding his exercise bike and doing twenty  push-ups every day, but he reported that he “cheated” on his push-ups because he did them on his knees.

            Art’s life was characterized by a quiet contentment, a sense of gratitude, and a humble spirit.  He did not possess a mean bone in his body and very rarely said a negative word about anyone.  He was non-judgmental and accepting of all people.  He had a quiet sense of humor which popped up at unexpected times.  Art was known to be a hard worker with a patient, steady pace who could often outlast his younger relatives.  He taught his family many life lessons by example and the way he lived his life.  Some of his favorite sayings were “Everything will work out”, “Take one day at a time” and “Always try to find the good in people”.   Art’s legacy of caring for his land and animals as well as his kind and patient spirit will live on in the hearts of his family members forever.  Blessed be his memory.

            Grateful for having shared his life are his children, Cindy Koch, Lynette (Doug Bos) Stensland, Doug (Mona) Stensland, Mark Stensland (Jesse Plaetz), Brian Stensland, Lisa Larsen (Phil Jacobson); 17 Grandchildren, Joshua Koch (Taya Rall), Jennifer Koch (Sven-Eric Thompson), Leah (Abe Arshem) Stensland-Arshem, Tanner (Lacey) Larsen, Angela Koch, Andrea Snyders, Lance Schreurs, Nicholas (Evie) Koch, Jason (Paige) Stensland, Justin (Chelsea) Stensland, Daniel (Kim Busch) Stensland-Bos, Kyle Stensland (Beth Ann Faber), Matthew Stensland-Bos (Brie Merson), Luke Larsen, Erin Larsen, Nathan (Katie) Bos, and Micah (Amber) Bos; and 33 great-grandchildren with one more on the way.

            Art is reunited in heaven with his wife of 71 years, Rosella (passed away August 21, 2023), his parents; son-in-law Charlie Larsen; siblings and spouses, Tilman Stensland, Joel (Mary Jeanette) Stensland, Orville (Lois) Stensland, Edsel (Gladys) Stensland, Melvin (RoseMarie) Stensland, Gloria (Ervin) Hamann, Marlo (Mildred) Stensland, Alice (Darrell) Hars, and Joyce (Kenneth) Claussen; and many special nieces and nephews.