Louis A. E. “Pud” Melius

WINTHROP - Louis A. E. "Pud" Melius, age 93, of Winthrop died Tuesday, April 14, 2009, at the Winthrop Good Samaritan Center in Winthrop.

Funeral Services will be 11 a.m., Saturday, April 18, at First Lutheran Church in Winthrop, with interment in the Winthrop Cemetery, and military rites by the Winthrop Honor Guard.

Visitation will be 4-8 P.M. Friday, and 7:30 A.M.-8:30 A.M. Saturday, at the Dalin-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Winthrop. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorials preferred.

Louis Alfred Ernest "Pud" Melius was born on March 14, 1916, in Winthrop. He was the son of August and Alvina (Lieske) Melius. He was a 1934 graduate of Winthrop High School.

Pud entered active military duty with the United States Coast Guard in 1942, during World War II, and received his Honorable Discharge in 1946.

On June 8, 1947, Pud was united in marriage to Karen Alma Drill at Augustana Lutheran Church in Gibbon. After their marriage, the couple resided in Winthrop, in the house where he was born. The couple later purchased their home at 410 North Hennepin Street in Winthrop, where they resided for nearly 60 years. Pud moved into the Winthrop Good Samaritan Center in January 2008. Karen moved into the Lafayette Good Samaritan Center's assisted living facility in November 2008.

Pud enjoyed many jobs, beginning with a bread delivery route in the Gaylord area, then returning to Winthrop to serve as an assistant manager at the municipal liquor store. He later became parts manager at Armin Schuette's Ford Implement and Automobile Company. In 1957, he was named manager of Midland Cooperative in Winthrop, which later became known as Tri-County Cooperative Oil Association, where he retired in 1978. His retirement didn't last long, as he returned to employment shortly thereafter and served as clubhouse manager at the Winthrop Golf Club for another 20 years.

Pud is best known for his many years of service to the City of Winthrop. City records show he served the community in various ways and numerous committees, sitting on the Winthrop City Council for 30 years and in the office of Mayor another nine and a half years. He was most proud of his involvement in moving the City of Winthrop into a regional electrical consortium of cities, in the formation of the Arlington-Gaylord-Winthrop-Gibbon Cable Commission, and the original development of Winthrop's Heartland Corn Products ethanol plant.

But Pud's passion was baseball, and he was instrumental in developing and maintaining baseball in the Winthrop community. He started playing while in Winthrop High School in the 1930s, spending most of his time at second base, shortstop and third base. His town team baseball playing days included years in the highly acclaimed Western Minnesota League at a time when it was semi-professional and drew elite collegiate and former pro players. Pud, Armin Schuette and Rueben Witt raised money and scouted players from Minnesota to Oklahoma, taking train trips to see prospective players. He also enjoyed a two-year stint at Gibbon after returning from military service, before returning to Winthrop where Pud eventually managed the 1956 team to its first-ever State Tournament.

Pud came out of retirement in 1973 to manage and help return town team baseball to Winthrop. He also served as President of the Ara Wilson League for six years and later again helped the Winthrop Eagles start up town team play in 1994. Pud was particularly proud to watch four grandsons help Winthrop qualify for its second state baseball tournament in 2003. Pud was inducted into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall Association of Fame on September 18, 2004.

Pud also enjoyed early Canadian fishing trips with friends and family, golfing and bowling. He bowled the first-ever 700 series at the Winthrop Lanes in 1956, won a five-state bowling tournament in North Dakota that same year, sustaining a 200-plus average that season. He especially loved spending time with his family.

Pud is survived by his wife, Karen Melius now of Lafayette, MN; children, Linda Larson of Greenfield, MN, Thomas Melius and his wife, Michele of Mayer, MN, Janet Rettmann and her husband, Dan of Wintrhop, MN Denise Melius and Tom Womack of Vadnais Heights, MN, Dana Melius and his wife, Kim of Winthrop, MN and Jeffrey Melius and his wife, Kerry of Champlin, MN; 12 grandchildren; sevengreat-grandchildren; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Pud was preceded in death by his one-year old son, Brent, in 1960; his parents; sister, Stella Nelson; and brothers, George and Elmer Melius.

Online condolences may be directed to www.hantge.com Please click on online condolences.