Luvern "Ike" Robert Eickhoff

Live streaming for Ike's service is:  https://www.youtube.com/live/WPegGYtb6do

Luvern ‘Ike’ Robert Eickhoff, 94, passed away peacefully in Bemidji, MN on February 19, 2025 alongside his wife and family members.

Services will be held at the First Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN on Tuesday, February 25th at 2 p.m., visitation one hour before the service.

Luvern was born on Tuesday, April 22,1930, an identical twin (Loran), to Henry and Blodwen Eickhoff in Graceton, MN at 9:10 p.m. Luvern attended primary school near his parents home in Lake of the Woods Township and completed his secondary education at Williams High School in 1949. Ike was an active youngster playing with his siblings on the farm. As a high school student, he was academically successful and captain of the Williams High School basketball team.

In 1956, Ike married Avis Marlene Nordling in Oslo, MN and moved thereafter to Stephen, MN where Ike was instrumental in starting the industrial arts department at the high school, as well as a summer sports and activities program for kids. He taught industrial arts students, coached basketball and was the assistant football coach. In Stephen, Ike and Avis built their first rambler-style home and started a family beginning with their son, Stuart. Eventually, Ike and Avis moved to Grand Forks, ND where Ike took a position as a teacher at UND in the Industrial Technology department and grew his family with the addition of his daughter, Mary. Ike‘s love for sports continued during his time in Grand Forks, where he filmed UND football, basketball, and some hockey games, as well, in his leisure time. Ike was always available to his students, community, neighbors and friends. Ike‘s activities were very broad and his circle of influence was wide-spread.

Ike’s tertiary education included: Bachelors degree, Bemidji Teachers College, Bemidji, MN,

Masters Degree, UND Grand Forks, ND, Doctorate of Philosophy in Higher Education/Research and Evaluation, ISU Ames, IO.

Previous to his education and marriage, Ike’s induction to the Army at 22 years old, put his plans on hold until he returned after a 9-month duty post in Korea, Yodo Island, Wangsong Harbor as a morse code radio operator with the responsibility to orchestrate the missions of 53 agents. He experienced emptiness and abandonment, near-death events and loss of his comrades which eventually became the content of his memoirs, ‘My Story‘, depicting his Korean War service-journey. Ike shared his recount many times, one-on-one and to wider audiences, over the last decade. ‘Never to be forgotten‘ is the motto which was illustrated by his compassion for those who served in the forces and died, many of whom were buried and fortunate enough to have a headstone with engravements. Yet, the sight of these headstones covered with lichen was evidence to the fact that they may indeed have been forgotten. Moved by compassion and an act of kindness, KARE 11 TV recognized and titled him a ‘Man on a Mission‘ where he demonstrated the process for cleaning gravestones and restoring them to their original glory. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uenZNL5Pgg)

As a family, Ike‘s interest to discover people and places, combined with educational endeavors,  took them to Boone, North Carolina and Ames, Iowa. Many adventures and memories are recalled of sight-seeing and traveling down many roads from ND to NC, up and down the East Coast, and onward to Florida and many places in between. At their home in Grand Forks, he was known as the man with the best lawn and landscaping on the street, he loved all species of trees which he pruned and prodded to become healthy and beautiful within their surroundings and people sought his expertise advice. Ike was always comfortable behind the wheel of a car and beyond: Buying and restoring many classic Chevrolet collector models (especially El Caminos) or simply polishing a collector-car hubcap. Ike enjoyed finding original replacement parts and radios for his classic cars and being a long-time, active member of the Paul Bunyan Vintage Auto Club. Music was yet another of his passions, especially the Country & Western era of Ian Tyson, with Ike’s personal favorite, ‘Springtime in Alberta‘. Ike embraced the changing of seasons around home, but once retired, he and Avis became snowbirds in Mesa, AZ. In retirement, Ike learned to play the acoustic and steel pedal guitars, and studied the theory of musical melodies and progression of keys found within a composition. Ike was a natural research and evaluation type of person with a passion to share with others the treasures of knowledge he had discovered. There was never a subject to which he couldn’t add a story, and sometimes, he would add a ‘story-within-a-story‘, which just had to be told.

Ike is survived by his wife, Avis (Bemidji, MN), son Stuart (Plymouth, MN), daughter Mary Gfeller (Eickhoff) with son-in-law Urs Gfeller (Davos, Switzerland), granddaughters Alexia (NYC) and Savanna (Zurich, Switzerland), sister Eileen (Harvey) Wilmer (-Eickhoff) (Roseau), sisters-in-law Joanne (Griggs) Eickhoff (Pequot Lakes) and Elva Joyce (Nordling) Bustrack (Warren), nieces and nephews across MN, WI, CA.

Preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Blodwen Eickhoff, infant brother, Lyle, younger brother, Lawrence, his identical twin brother Loran, mother-in-law Gerda Nordling, brothers-in-law, Dale Nordling and Harold Bustrack, sister-in-law Janet Eickhoff, niece Lynda (Eickhoff) Wilson and nephew Jeffrey Eickhoff.

Ike and his wife are members of First Lutheran in Bemidji, MN where he has served in various areas, paying special attention to the landscaping around the church and was a regular among the Men‘s Group.

Inurnment will take place in July 2025 with a celebration of his life, his passions with his family and close friends.

Memorial donations will be gifted to areas meaningful to Ike‘s passions:

    Our ‘family forest‘ memorial development on Island View Drive NE 

            -by way of gift certificates from Nature‘s Edge

            -personal check or cash donation (box will be available)

    Bench for reflection & contemplation will be placed amongst the trees with the engravement,    

    Praise Him, Thank Him, Ask Him, words by which Ike lived.