Rev. Gordon Trelstad

Gordon Anthony Trelstad, 91, died on March 30, 2026 at Benedictine Senior Living in Red Wing, MN. Gordon was born on October 21, 1934 to Gustav and Gladys (Rude) Trelstad on the family farm in Goodhue County outside of Zumbrota, MN. Gustav died when Gordon was 5 years old. Gordon and his mom and brother Jerry moved to Zumbrota for the rest of his school years, except in 1946 when Gordy was 12 and they took the train to CA to live with his two aunts and their families in Los Ángeles for a year. Gordon earned his Eagle Scout award at age 15, and it was in 1950 when he went on his first canoe trip with the Zumbrota Boy Scouts in the Canadian Quetico where he developed a love for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Gordon played football, baseball, and played with his brother on the basketball team. After graduating from Zumbrota High School in 1952, Gordon attended the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis for 1 year. He went on to Augsburg College, graduating in 1957 with a BA in History. Gordon attended Luther Theological Seminary in St Paul, MN. Gordon met his future wife, Karen Egesdal at Medicine Lake Bible Camp, taking her out on their first date in his 1950 Plymouth. Gordon and Karen were married June 7,1959 at Shiloh Lutheran Church in Elmore, MN. During their first year of marriage they lived in Brooklyn, NY where Gordon was an intern at Trinity Lutheran Church. Gordon was ordained into ministry on June 4, 1961 at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and went on to serve four parishes during his years as a Lutheran pastor: Our Savior’s (Sioux Falls, SD); Wilmot Lutheran (Wilmot, SD); Clarkfield Lutheran (Clarkfield, MN) and Grace Lutheran (Westbrook, MN). During these years, daughters Sara, Rachel and Martha, and son Steve, were born.

Gordon and Karen took their family on many adventures, which included car trips and camping with a pop-up Palomino. They road-tripped to Salt Lake City, UT where Gordon’s brother Jerry and family lived, and drove the Alaskan Highway in an RV to Fairbanks, AK to see Karen’s sister Miriam and family. During his years as a pastor in Clarkfield, Gordon chaperoned 16 groups on canoe trips in the BWCA through Wilderness Canoe Base, and he loved seeing how transformative these trips were for both youth and adults. Gordon and Karen enjoyed a trip to Norway with their four children in 2009 to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. He loved the fishing trips he took with friends, which included several trips to Canada and a few to Lake Michigan. Gordy rode the coach bus to the Minot, ND Høstfest a few times and, at age 82, took the Amtrak Train to Chicago for the International Lions Club Convention.

Gordon was active in the community, a passionate antique collector, and loved to recite poetry. He was known to regale friends and family with various poems, whether it was A Drop the in the Bucket, The Train to Morrow, or another selection. His ability to keep poetry alive in his head was truly incredible.

Gordon was a member of the Lions Club for 55 years. He belonged to the Red Wing Woodcarvers Group, sang bass in the church choir, and attended Men in Mission. He loved his Norwegian heritage and was a member of the Sons of Norway. Gordon was a longtime attendee of the men’s coffee group that met at the Pottery Place for years, then moved to Pier 55. He was an avid MN Gophers football fan, owning season tickets for many years. In the last decade of his life Gordy was a regular at Kelly’s Taproom, where he would go for a cup of coffee and where almost everybody knew his name. It wasn’t unusual for Gordy to have a conversation with a stranger while at Kelly’s. Gordon took violin lessons in his 70’s; owned a collection of violins, guitars, harmonicas; and played the musical saw. A friend helped Gordy build what he called a “Norwegian cultivator” that he showcased for 25 years at the Butterfield Threshing Bee, where he would hang out in the exhibition building answering questions or making things up, simply enjoying the connections with curious folks who stopped by his station.

Gordon is preceded in death by his wife Karen, his father and mother, and his brother Jerry. He is survived by his children Sara Vanderpan (Ted), Rachel Trelstad-Porter (Jim), Martha Sandven (Eric), and Steve Trelstad (Tiffany); grandchildren Marie (Hans), Heidi, Kelsey (Ian), Kaia, Carter (Katie), Emma, Chloe (Jack), Samantha (Patrick), John, Lauren and Brennan; and great grandchildren Kendra, Cooper, Aubree, Grace, Lark and Zoey. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Benedictine Senior Living and St Croix Hospice for their compassionate care extended to Gordy.

Visitation will be on Thursday, April 9 from 5-7 pm at the Mahn Family Funeral Home, Bodelson-Mahn Chapel. Gordon’s memorial service will be on Friday, April 10 at 11 am at United Lutheran Church in Red Wing, MN, with visitation the hour before. The service will be live-streamed and can viewed below.  He will be buried in a private burial at Stordahl Lutheran Church in Zumbrota. Memorial gifts preferred to United Lutheran Church or Wilderness Canoe Base https://lakewapo.org/donate/