Obituary for Howard L. Engen

Howard Lee Engen, 94, of La Crosse passed away peacefully, with family by his side on Sunday, March 6, 2022 at home. He was born in Whitehall, Wis., on December 31, 1927, to Henry and Pearl ( Settingsgaard) Engen. (He always said everyone celebrated his birthday). He met the love of his life, Janice Olson, in high school. So infatuated with her, he was known to ride his bike the 10 miles to her house just to see her. They were married on July 1,1950, at Elk Creek Lutheran Church, Osseo, Wis. Howard graduated in 1946 from Whitehall High School. He was quite the handyman, loved working with wood, be it carving or carpentry. Golf and bowling were his favorite pastimes along with traveling across the United States with his family. He and Jan even got to go on their dream trip to Norway. Howard worked a variety of jobs before starting a career at Trane Company in La Crosse, retiring after 34 ½ years. Never one to slow down, he kept himself busy doing odd jobs and gardening. Howard is survived by his wife of 71 years, Janice; sons, Gregory (Cathy) and Keith (Judith); grandchildren, Kevin (Heather) Engen, Amanda (Josh) Lindell, Jennifer (Wayne Ellefson Jr.), DeAnna Engen, and Danni Engen; six great-grandchildren; and brother, Ronald (Pat) Engen. Howard was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Janice Holden and Lloyd Engen. Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m., on Friday, March 11, 2022, at Jandt-Fredrickson Funeral Home, Woodruff Chapel, 4239 Mormon Coulee Rd., La Crosse. Entombment will follow in the Garden Mausoleum at Mormon Coulee Memorial Park Cemetery in La Crosse. A visitation will be from 10:00 a.m., until the time of service, Friday, at the funeral home. Memorials are preferred to Gundersen Health System Hospice Program or the Gundersen Health System Oncology Department, both in La Crosse. The family would like to thank Gundersen Hospice for their gentle and loving care of Howard in making his journey more peaceful.