Melvin "Mel" Carl Shoberg

Melvin Carl Shoberg was born in Rock Creek Township, Pine County, Minnesota on August 6, 1926 to Gunnard and Mabel (Johnson) Shoberg, in "Little Sweden", a community of Swedish people who settled two and one-half miles south east of Rock Creek, Minnesota. When Mel was 5 years old, the family moved to the "Shoberg" farm one mile east of Rock Creek.  Mel graduated from the 8th grade in Rock Creek, and in May of 1944 he graduated from Pine City High School.  After High School, Mel was drafted into the US Armed Forces.  He took and passed the Navy physical and was off to see the world.  From the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois, he went to radio school in Gulf Port, Mississippi, and then on to San Francisco where he was shipped into the South Pacific.  He had just stepped off a bus on liberty leave in San Francisco when the sirens started going off.  The war was over!  However he was still sent to Japan, where he was one of the first truck load of soldiers/sailors to go through a devastated Hiroshima.  Mel served as a radio man on the LST #377, the ARS #25, and ATF #101.  He was honorably discharged in 1946.  He came back to the farm in Rock Creek where he resumed farming with his mother and dad and brother Clifford. One night at a dance at the Topic Ballroom in Pine City, he met Shirley Livingston from the Brook Park area.  They were married on July 11, 1964.  Mel's parents then moved to Rush City and Mel and Shirley settled down to the farming life with brother Clifford until 1989. After quitting farming, Mel became bored and took a job as caretaker with Greenview at the Goose Creek Rest Area along I-35, just north of Harris, Minnesota, a position he kept for 13 years. In October of 2001, the family farm was sold and Mel and Shirley moved across the road to a new home on a piece of land they had retained from the farm. Mel always enjoyed sports:  participating in football and track in high school.  After high school he played baseball and softball with the local teams in the area.  He bowled for many years until the local bowling places closed.  He enjoyed all sports on television, especially high school football and basketball.  He enjoyed reading and stated that he had read most of the books in the local library. Mel was a member of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rush City.  He was also a life member of the Pine City VFW Post #4258 and a life member of the Disabled American Veterans.  He belonged to the Pine City American Legion and the Pine County Veterans Association where he was president for many years.  He was a member of the Pine City VFW color guard and marched in the Pine County Fair Parades and Memorial Day Parades until his health no longer permitted. Mel enjoyed traveling with his wife, visiting most of the states including Alaska.  He also enjoyed going to Switzerland and Germany in 2001. Mel will be remembered at the Rock Creek Cafe where he loved having coffee, for his jokes and stories, and a keen sense of humor. Mel and Shirley have three children of which Mel was always very proud, saying he planned their occupations just right so they could care for him.  He also loved his grandchildren and enjoyed teasing them. Mel had heart surgery in June of 2005.  He was hospitalized again at Fairview-Lakes Hospital in July of 2011 where he passed away on August 14th. Mel is survivied by his wife of 47 years, Shirley, his children Sandi (Dan) Steinbach, Jeff Shoberg, and Sheri Shoberg, five grandchildren:  Sierra, Cody, Leah, Alexis, and Adam;  sister Lorraine Olson, brothers Clifford and Donald (Edie), brothers-in-law:  Albert Gallik and Leroy Livingston, sister-in-law Lorelei Hoffman, many nieces, nephews and his special cat Goldie. He was preceded in death by his parents Gunnard and Mabel (Johnson) Shoberg. Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Thursday, August 18th @ the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rush City.  Interment will be in the Lutheran Church Cemetery.  Visitation will be on Wednesday, August 17th from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. at the Olson Funeral Chapel with a prayer service at 7:45 p.m.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. Funeral arrangements for Mr Melvin Shoberg were entrusted to Olson Funeral Chapel *Rush City