Allan Aanerud was born to Victor and Millie Aanerud on March 5th 1938, in section nine of Oakland Township in a one room log house. He was brought into this world by a traveling physician, Doctor Edder. Allan had two brothers and a sister. While growing up, he saw a lot of grandparents, Ruby and George Miller, as they only lived a quarter of a mile away. Growing up the family did a lot of family activities. During the summers, Allan worked on his father's small farm and in the winters he attended Espy School, a one room school house located in Oakland Township 2.5 miles from home where he finished 8th grade. He then went to Waubun H.S. and graduated in 1957.

Allan worked local jobs until he was drafted into the United States Army in 1958. Following two years in the service, he was honorably discharged and went to work in the Twin Cites at different jobs. In 1961, Allan went to work for Penzine Dredging. When the river froze over he went home to the farm. That winter he met Geraldine Folz through a mutual friend, Kathy (Borgrud) Schmidt. Allan and Geri dated that winter and were married June 16th 1962. Allan and Geri moved to the Twin Cities where Allan went back to work at Penzine Dredging, until the fall of 1962. The winter of 1962, they lived with Allan's parents. He purchased the land for a home in the spring of 1963 and purchased a house from Hans Fagre for $75.00 and $35.00 to move it. They drug it on pole logs to the new location. Later Allan and Geri replaced that home with a newer one, where they raised four kids: Clay, Patty Jo, Brent and Rod.

In the spring of 1964, Allan started work in the elevator trade. He was in the elevator trade until work slowed, and then he went to trade school in Wadena, MN, for two years. Allan then worked self-employed as owner of Oakland Electric. During a down turn in the economy in the early 1980s, he went back to work in the elevator trade for Montgomery Elevator. Allan worked in the elevator trade for many years until an injury in 1994 required an early retirement.

Since then he has enjoyed hunting, fishing and time with family and friends. He also became active in the Lake Grove Lutheran Church, where he helped form the Lake Grove Cemetery Board with the help of Babe Schmidt. He was also Lake Grove Lutheran Church Council president until his death.

He was preceded in death by his parents, paternal grandparents and nephew, Tim Aanerud.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Geri, of Waubun, their four children and nine grandchildren: son Clay, his wife, Jeanette, and their children: Victor, Isaac and Zachary, of Otsego, MN; daughter Patty Jo and her daughter, Tiffany, of Bemidji, MN; son Brent, his wife, Natalie, and their children, Austin and Cecilia of Boulder, CO; son Rod, his wife, Shelly, and their children: Samantha, Savannah, and Sierra, of Princeton, MN. Allan is also survived by two brothers, Gordon, of Carleton, MN, and Ronnie, his wife, Betty, of Waubun; sister Barb McCard, her husband, Mick, of Cheyenne, WY; many nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews, cousins and special family, Nate Prellwitz, Nate Staffenhagen, Nick Worden.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to Lake Grove Lutheran Youth, Church, Cemetery or the Roger Maris Cancer Center at MeritCare, Fargo.

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 2 pm at Lake Grove Lutheran Church, rural Waubun. Visitation will be held Friday, January 23rd from 5-7 pm with a prayer service at 6:30 pm at the Anderson~Mattson Funeral Home in Mahnomen.