Obituary of Floyd Warren Wilson

Floyd Warren "Willie" Wilson, 82, of Brookston died Tuesday, October 28, 2003 in the Grand Itasca Nursing Care Center in Grand Rapids. He was born March 2, 1921 in Swanwick, Illinois to Moore and Margaret (White) Wilson. When Warren was five years old, his father died in a coal mine accident. He and his mother moved to Centerville, Illinois where Warren attended elementary school. In 1933 his mother married Adolph Nelson and they moved to a farm in Gowan, Minnesota. Warren attended Prairie Lake School and Floodwood High School. In 1942, Warren joined the Merchant Marines, serving his country until 1947. He returned home and together with his parents bought the August Asp farm south of Floodwood. On June 19, 1948 he married Pauline Pensak and together they raised four children. Warren started working for Conwed Corporation in Cloquet in 1950 and retired in 1982. Along with his family he operated an A & W Drive In at Gowan for ten summers from 1960 until 1969. After his retirement from Conwed, they sold the farm and built a new home on Kindberg Lake in the Brookston area where he enjoyed gardening, hunting, fishing, and cutting fire wood. Warren and Pauline traveled to many places in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, and Canada by tour bus and airplane. Warren was a member of the Senior Citizens Club in Brookston and the Merry Makers Dance Club in Floodwood. Warren is survived by his wife of 55 years, Pauline; his son, Leon (Rose Ann) Wilson of Floodwood; three daughters, Gail (Tim) Hart and Bonnie (Lloyd) Crist both of Floodwood, and Wendy (Dan) Sanders of Blaine; 10 grandchildren, Jason, Derek (Teresa), and Lukas Hart, Jess (Hope) Wilson and Jannifer (Dusty) Johnson, Carmen and Cory Crist, Bradley (Stacey), Matthew (Andrea), and Joshua Sanders; two great grandchildren, Andrew and Madelyn Sanders; one sister, Marjorie (Bill) Bahr of Manhattan Beach, California; and two brothers, Bernard (Kathy) Nelson of Clancy, Montana and Darrell (Roselee) Nelson of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 10 until the 11:00 a.m. memorial service Friday, October 31, 2003 in Northland Funeral Home, 801 14th St. in Cloquet. Military Honors will be accorded by the Cloquet Combined Honor Guard. A time of fellowship and lunch will follow in the Fireside Room of the funeral home. Inurnment will be in Forest Hill Cemetery in Van Buren Township. Arrangements entrusted to Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet.