Milton Moen was born in 1924 to Hilmer and Gurina Moen in Madison, MN.  He was baptized and confirmed at Borgund Lutheran Church.  Milton attended country school for eight years at District #29 near the family farm, followed by four years at Appleton High School graduating in 1942.  After graduation, he, along with his next older brother Harold, continued to run the family farm until Milton volunteered to join the US Army Air Corps in 1943.

Milton served honorably in the Army Air Corps from 1943 until after World War II ended in 1945. During that period, he served in Europe with the 15th Army Air Force as a tail gunner in a B-17.  In December 1944 on a bombing mission over Vienna, their aircraft was damaged from flak and the crew bailed out over northern Yugoslavia. Through the help of local partisans, he escaped capture by the Nazi forces and traveled east through the Russian lines and was repatriated to US Forces by the Russian Army from Bucharest, Romania. He was assigned to a new crew and flew missions until the war ended.

After the war, Milton returned to Madison and married Helen Sjolie on March 20, 1946 at First Lutheran Church in Madison.  To this union six children were born. His family was truly his pride and joy, encouraging all his children to be what they wanted to be.  He found a special joy with grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Their visits always brought a twinkle to his eye.

In 1946, he started the family farm, building it from scratch.  With his growing family, he took on many extra jobs over the years working for Lund Implement as a mechanic, for Ron Bergerson as a plumber’s helper, managing the local Renco Gas Company, and with farm building construction crews through the Great Plains Lumber Company. In retirement from farming, gardening became his hobby; providing fresh vegetables and apples for his family and many others in the Madison community.

He was a life-long member of Borgund Lutheran Church involved in many aspects of maintaining the church property and cemetery. He was a life member of the US Air Force Escape and Evasion Society, the American Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

Milton is survived by his children Dennis (Nancy) Moen of Aiken, SC; Myron (Carol) Moen of Park Rapids, MN; Charlotte (Skip) Zielin of Fergus Falls, MN; Richard (Kathy) Moen of Alexandria, MN; Valerie (Bob) Cooke of Eagan, MN; Victor (Audrey) Moen of La Prairie, MN; 14 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; and one sister, Doris Kuehl of St Paul, MN and sister-in-law Minerva Moen of Madison, MN.

He was preceded in death by his wife Helen and his parents Hilmer and Gurina Moen and sisters Mildred Vaala, Gladys Rinehart, Hedvig Hegre, and Marcella Lundgren, brothers Harry, Joel, Selfred, Julien (in infancy), and Harold.

Today, another Veteran died.