Sterling Luikens

A Memorial Service for Sterling Luikens, age 91, of Northfield, Minnesota, formerly of Herman, Minnesota will be held Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Herman with Rev. Darrell Boe officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service time at the church. Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery, Herman. Military Rites will be provided by the Herman American Legion Post #378. Sterling Luikens was born December 7, 1923 to Sabo and Margaretha (Bruns) Luikens on a farm 5 miles west of Herman, Minnesota. He attended rural school in Logan Township, Grant County, and graduated from Herman High School in May 1940. Sterling farmed with his parents until January 1946 and then served in the United States Navy in 1946-1947. He returned home to farm in partnership with his parents through 1955, then working for Walter Bacon Construction and the Purity Milk Company. In April of 1956, Sterling was appointed to serve as Rural Letter Carrier at Herman, retiring after 28 years, on November 26, 1984. During retirement he provided senior transportation and volunteer work. He served on the Herman Volunteer Fire Dept for 20 years, served on various boards and committees of the Methodist Church, was a member of the church choir, Lakeside Cemetery Board, and Grant County Historical Society board. On September 14, 1951 Sterling married Alice Mae Bengston of Morris. They had two sons. His hobbies were hunting, fishing, golf, gardening and playing cards. He and Alice enjoyed Square and Round dancing with friends, traveling by car and on bus tours, and spending time with their family. Following a fall in June of 2013, Sterling moved to the Hoffman Care Center. In October 2013, Sterling moved to the Three Links Care Center in Northfield to be closer to his family. He developed a strong relationship with 5 other men who sat together for meals and truly enjoyed each other's company. They called it the gentlemen's table'. During his last days, residents and staff stopped in to say goodbye and talk about how he had touched their lives; it was comforting to hear their experiences. Sterling met his goal in attending the wedding of his grandson, Andy to Anna, on June 6, 2015 in Moorhead, MN. He enjoyed hearing his granddaughter, Ellery, play piano and sing for the ceremony and visited with other relatives, and friends. Sterling is preceded in death by his wife, Alice, in 2001, four brothers and two sisters. He is survived by his sons, Jan (and Shirley) of Faribault, MN and Jim (and Leslie) of Kalispell, MT; 5 grandchildren, Andy (and Anna) of Fargo, ND; Paul of Minneapolis, MN; Micah, Ellery and Adair of Kalispell, MT and one brother, Roger of Chandler, AZ, several nieces and nephews.