Lowell A. Mortrude, 86, St. Cloud

August 30, 1931 - June 16, 2018

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at the Daniel Funeral Home in St. Cloud for Lowell A. Mortrude, age 86, of St. Cloud, who passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 16, 2018 at St. Benedict’s Senior Community in St. Cloud. Interment will take place at St. Marcus’s Parish Cemetery in Clear Lake with full military honors.

Visitation will take place one hour prior to services on Wednesday at the funeral home.

Lowell Allan Mortrude was born to Clara and Seymour Mortrude on August 30, 1931 in Minot, ND. After his father’s tragic early death, Lowell and his siblings Jane, Seymour, and Gordon moved with their mother to be with her family in Greenbush, MN. Lowell excelled in baseball and captained the Greenbush Tigers to an undefeated football season. After high school, Lowell attended St. Cloud College and received a business degree.

On July 17, 1954 Lowell married Marcella Mary Mekash of Roseau, MN and then went to serve in the Korean War. Lowell spent the next two years working at the Pentagon. After the war, he returned to St. Cloud Teachers College for his education degree and started a career as a history teacher and high school principal.

Lowell’s four children benefited from his storytelling gift as they traveled coast to coast during long summer car trips. Lowell received his doctorate from North Dakota State University and became a professor of education at St. Cloud State University. He helped train hundreds of educators through his Cooperative Action in Teachers Education (CATE) program. Lowell was passionate about his daily game of golf, he was a prolific gardener with a gift for growing beautiful tomatoes, and he loved a good spy novel.

He is greatly missed by Marcy, his wife of 64 years, his children Lowell Mortrude, Nancy (George) Botz, Stuart (Cathy) Mortrude, and Judy (Steven Mahon) Mortrude, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Lowell was preceded in death by his parents, grandson, Jacob, brothers Gordon and Seymour.

Memorials preferred to the Alzheimer’s Society of MN or St Cloud CentraCare Hospice.