Lavern "Mutch" K. Mutschelknaus, 84, of Trent passed away on Friday, December 7, 2012 at Riverview Manor in Flandreau, SD. His funeral service will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at the Trent Baptist Church. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 10, 2012 with a prayer service beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Kahler Funeral Home.

Lavern “Mutch” K. Mutschelknaus was born on October 24, 1928 in Yankton County, SD, the son of Emil and Johanna Mutschelknaus. He grew up three miles north of Lesterville and attended country school. He attended Scotland High School and graduated in 1947. He went to work for the Milwaukee Railroad in southeast South Dakota. On June 11, 1950, he married Ardis Evenson in rural Menno. They moved to Trent in 1953 and resided there ever since. “Mutch” joined the Trent fire department in 1954. From 1959 to 1962, “Mutch” was employed at the Trent School as a janitor, bus driver and business manager. From 1962-1969, he went back to work for the Milwaukee Railroad as a depot agent. In 1969, he started working for the U. S. Department of Agriculture as a federal meat inspector at John Morrell. He was disabled in 1989. In 1982 he became an EMT for the Dell Rapids Ambulance. Ardis passed away in February of 2002.

“Mutch” was a member of Trent Baptist Church, the Trent Fire Department and the Dell Rapids EMT. He enjoyed fishing, ice fishing and hunting.

He was preceded in death by his his parents, his wife, two grandchildren and two brothers.

Those left to cherish his memory are his sons, David (Jane) Mutschelknaus and Dan (Amy) Mutschelknaus both of Brandon; his daughters, Lonnie (Stan) Gruneich of Flandreau and Kay (Mark) Bonrud of Lakeville, MN; his nine grandchildren, Jason, Joel, Nick, Kiel, Alan, Lucas, Hanna, Nathan and Mark; his two great grandchildren, Dominick and Olivia and his sisters, Delores (Ernie) Freier of Lake Crystal, MN and Edna (Vermain) Mogck of Twin Lake, MI.