Ellsworth "Elly" Carroll Underwood

Ellsworth “Elly” Underwood, age 85, passed away at home on December 19, from complications of congestive heart failure.

Funeral services will be at 1:00 p.m., Monday, December 29, 2025, at Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home, Bemidji, MN. Visitation is one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment is in Greenwood Cemetery, Bemidji.

Elly was born October 3, 1940, in Lebanon, Missouri, the only child of James Carroll Underwood and Gwendolyn (Squires) Underwood. After his father’s death in 1952, he moved with his mother and stepfather, Master Sergeant Howard M. Brown, living in Japan and at several U.S. Army bases before returning to Missouri in 1957. He graduated from Crocker High School in 1958 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from the University of Missouri–Columbia in 1963 and moved to Minnesota in 1964. Elly spent more than 31 years working in forestry with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs in Minnesota, serving all Minnesota Chippewa Tribal reservations as well as the Upper and Lower Sioux communities. He witnessed and supported the transition to tribal self-determination and was respected for his belief that everyone deserved a seat at the table. He was active in the Cass Lake Lions Club and served as its president in 1968. Elly was stationed in Naytahwaush where he met and married Sandy Blattenbauer on December 16, 1972, and they moved to Bemidji in 1977. After retiring, he worked seasonally for the State of Minnesota, including several summers at Itasca State Park. Elly enjoyed hunting, fishing, tennis, outdoor photography, genealogy, and old-time rock and roll. He was an enthusiastic fan of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. Known for his friendly, unassuming nature, he was always ready to help others and deeply cherished time with his family.

Elly is survived by his wife of 53 years, Sandy; children Chris (Mandi), Ryan (Melinda), and Sara (Mark); grandchildren Kyle (Brooklyn), AnnMarie (Wyatt) Vold, Kevin (Krista), Adrianna, Kian, Calvin, Claire, Milo, a new great grandson arriving soon; and sisters Gwendolyn “Corky” (Lonnie) Howell and Cindy Tanner; and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents; half-brother Clarence Underwood; half-sister Mable Van Loon; stepfather Howard M. Brown, and brother-in-law Dave Tanner.

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