Caledonia Argus

Posted: 3/15/04

P.D. (Dillion) Hempstead

P.D. (Dillon) Hempstead, 73, of rural Houston died Friday, March 12, 2004, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse.

He was born May 18, 1930, the son of Orson and Jean (Lischer) Hempstead. He grew up in rural Houston. After graduating from Houston Public Schools, Dillon attended the University of Minnesota, Institute of Agriculture and served two years in the U.S. Army counter intelligence corps before returning to join the family farm enterprise. Dillon was the fourth generation to operate the Hempstead Homestead, established in 1855.

Dillon married Mary Buol on March 15, 1958, in West Salem, WI.

Feeding beef cattle was his principle business enterprise, although several other livestock and seed enterprises have been operated from this farm by previous generations.

Dillon has long been active in county, state and national Farm Bureau. He served as Houston County Farm Bureau president, as Minnesota Farm Bureau president from 1965-69, the nationís youngest Farm Bureau president, and as a member of national Farm Bureau committees. He also served with several other farm organizations.

In 1978 he was appointed by Gov. Rudy Perpich to a 9-member Board of Residential Utility Consumers to represent Minnesota consumers in utility rate cases. He also was appointed by Gov. Harold Levander to serve on an agriculture advisory committee.

From January 1977, through December 2003, he served as the first full-time farmer elected to the board of directors of the First Northwestern National Bank of Winona, MN, which later became Norwest Bank and currently Wells Fargo Bank. He was the longest serving bank director for Wells Fargo Bank.

He has been active in church, community and educational affairs including Houston school board, Houston Development Corporation, and as president of Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. He is a Past Master of Mystic Circle Lodge No. 78, A. F. & A. M. Dillon gave freely of his time and knowledge to help other farmers improve their operations.

Dillon is survived by his wife Mary; two daughters, Amy (Don) Gales, Overland Park, KS, and Lyn (Charles) Halvorson, Houston; two granddaughters; sister-in-law, Bonnie Buol; two sisters, Caroljean Goulder (John Blake), North Providence, RI, and Lorna (Gerard) Kuyk, Bloomington, IN; a brother, John (Marilyn), La Crosse, WI; five nieces, a nephew and their children.

Services will be held, Tuesday, March 16, 11 a.m., at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Houston with the Rev. Lane Zaffke officiating. Cremation will follow the service with burial at Sunrise Cemetery at a later date. Friends may call at the Hoff Funeral Homes - Houston Chapel on Monday from 4-8:00 p.m. , where there will be an 8 p.m. Masonic service. Friends may also call at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of services.

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