John Malzahn

John William Malzahn, age 76, of Odessa, MN, passed away on October 24, 2019, at the Ortonville Area Health Services Hospital.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, November 17, 2019, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at his home: 43959 680th Ave., Odessa, MN, 56276

If you have a favorite memory with John, please stop by to share.

John was born on February 7, 1943, in Minneapolis, MN. He was the sixth of seven children born to Arnold and Inez Malzahn.

He was raised in East Union, MN, and later moved to Pine City, MN, where he graduated from High School in 1961. He went on to earn his barber and cosmetology degrees, eventually owning his own beauty shop in Minneapolis.

On September 21, 1968, he married Dolores Vossen (his childhood friend) at the Saint Nicholas Church in Carver, MN. They settled in Chaska, MN, and went on to have four children, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

In 1980, he began working as a machine operator at the Anchor Glass Bottling Company in Shakopee, MN. He retired from Anchor Glass in 2005 and moved to Odessa, MN, for the beauty of the land, the small-town atmosphere, and the outstanding fishing and hunting.

John was an avid outdoorsman and he had a lifelong love of hunting, fishing, and telling tall tales. He was a collector of “treasures” and had a story to go with each of them. He enjoyed gardening and had a strong German work ethic.

He is survived by his wife, Dolores; daughters: Laura, Lynn (Darrin), and Andrea (Don); grandchildren: Amanda (Michael), Krystal, Angelica, Samantha, Monarch, Alison, Sophia, Willem; and great-grandchildren: John-Andrew, Jacob, and Logan; and siblings: Ray (Betty), Richard, A. Michael, and Sally (John).

John was preceded in death by his parents: Arnold and Inez; infant son, Thomas; and two sisters: Mary and Annette.

John passed away after a long, hard-fought battle with leukemia. He was loved and will be deeply missed.