Fr.
William Lemen, 94
Bemidji
- The Rev. William F. Lemen, 94, died on
Saturday, March 22, 2003 at Havenwood Care Center
in Bemidji.
Mass of
Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on
Wednesday, March 26 (today) with Bishop Victor
Balke presiding. Interment will be in the Lemen
family lot in Calvary Cemetery in Crookston later
in the week. Casketbearers will be George Theroux,
Celestine Maus, Ray Theisen, Denny Erpelding,
Herman Gardner and Churck Galli. Memorials are
preferred to the Fr. Lemen Scholarship at St.
Philip's School or St. Philip's Church.
William
Francis Lemen was born on May 3, 1908, the son of
William A. and Cora Marie (Jerome) Lemen, in
Crookston. He attended Crookston Cathedral Grade
School and graduated from Crookston Cathedral High
School in 1925. He attended Crosier Seminary in
Onamia from 1938 to 1930, then St. John's Seminary
in Collegeville from 1930 to 1936. He was ordained
a priest in the Roman Catholic Church on March 7,
1936 in St. John's Abbey in Collegeville. He then
served as an assistant pastor in Red Lake Falls
until September 1936, at which time he was named
the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in
Greenbush and served the parishes in Benwood and
Strandquist, concurrently. In July 1947, he was
named the pastor of St. Ann's Parish in Blackduck
also the parishes in Shooks and Kelliher. In July
1962, he moved to Warren and served as the pastor
of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish until September 1963,
when he came to St. Philip's Catholic Parish in
Bemidji. He remained at St. Philip's until1972,
when he was named pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in
Bagley and Our Lady of Victory Parish in Shevlin.
He retired in 1983 and lived in Bemidji and since
1996, in residence at St. Philip's.
He played
ameteur baseball for many summers and developed a
love of hockey, becoming a strong supporter of the
sport at all levels. He became a fixture at the
arenas, watching high school and college games. He
was a member of the Knights of Columbus and had
served as the Minnesota state chaplain for many
years. He was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying
hunting, fishing, golfing and time with his
friends.
Survivors
include his sister, Rosemary Howsley of Sacramento,
Calif.; brothers, Jack (Matilda) Lemen of Evendale,
Ohio, and Jim (Helen) Lemen of Mission, Texas; and
many nieces and nephews.
William
was preceded in death by his parents; sister,
Gladys Bischoff; and brothers, George and Jerome.
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