Earl Lemuel White

Earl Lemuel White, age 94, of Mankato, passed away peacefully on September 14, 2026 at Ecumen Pathstone Living in Mankato.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, September 19th at Living Word Mankato, 20013 Stoltzman Road, Mankato, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at Pilgrims Rest Cemetery, Mankato.

Earl was born on March 26, 1932 in Wells, Minnesota, the son of Melbourne and Elsie (Gaines) White. He attended school in Winnebago, MN and then joined the Navy. After his time in the military, he met the love of his life Carolynn Hove, through a friend on a blind date on January 3, 1957. They dated for a year and then Earl proposed and they got married on January 3, 1959, two years to the date after they met.

Earl had a long career with the Chicago Northwestern Railroad and after 38 years he retired. Upon his retirement, he enjoyed going to Auctions, where he bought old furniture and refinished it beautifully. He would be out in the garage with his radio playing his old-time music and whistling away. Earl also loved to go to garage sales, to find a bargain on Saturday mornings. If you were with him, you needed to hang on, as he took the corners over the curbs to be the first in line when the doors opened.

Earl and Carolynn spent many winters living in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, relaxing by the lake, playing table games with friends and Earl’s favorite-going to garage sales. He was a reader of Louis L’ Amour western books and western movies. He loved his cowboy boots and fancy belt buckles. Earl also volunteered at the Salvation Army Kitchen for many years.

Earl accepted Jesus as his Savior on October 4, 1972. He was a member of Living Word Church in Mankato, where he served as a Trustee in the past. He always made sure the sidewalk was shoveled and the coffee was made.

Earl and Carolynn renewed their wedding vows on their 50th Anniversary, with their original attendants and Carolynn’s Dad walking her down the aisle. They were married 67 wonderful years.

Earl is preceded in death by his parents, Melbourne and Elsie White; sister, Carol (Art) Bebler; brothers-in-law, Carl Hulke and Pastor Francis Monseth; and sister-in-law, Anola Hove.

He is survived by his wife, Carolynn of Mankato; daughter, Deb (Dave) Fugleberg of Lakeville; son, Michael ( Dawn ) White of Mankato; granddaughters, Erica (Pastor Christian) Kohs of Owatonna, Breanna (Jonathan) Nickel of Mapleton, Natalie ( Christopher) Henning of Mankato, and Hannah Fugleberg of Michigan; great grandchildren, Calvin, Hudson, Ethan, Emberli, Elijah, Scarlett, Vann, and Breely; sister, Ruth Hulke of Bothell, WA; brother, Marlyn White of Le Sueur, MN; brother-in-law, Eugene (Edie) Hove of Maple Grove; sister-in-law, Ellen Monseth of Rogers; brother-in-law, Jon Hove of Port Wing, WI, and many nieces and nephews.

The Family would like to thank Ecumen Adult Day Services, Ecumen Pathstone Living and Ecumen Hospice for their excellent care.