Melvin A. Wanttie

The memorial service will be 2pm Saturday, August 13, 2011 at Hoven Funeral Chapel, 300 1 St. S., Ellendale, ND with Pastor Reino Maunu officiating. Burial was at North Savo Apostolic Lutheran Cemetery, rural Frederick, SD. Arrangements by Hoven Funeral Chapel. Melvin Albert Wanttie, 81, of Ellendale, ND, was born in 1929 in rural Ellendale, ND. He was the son of Albert and Hilda (West) Wanttie. Melvin was educated in the Ellendale schools. After graduation from Ellendale High School in 1948, he joined the Air Force. After serving in the military, he began a new career as a tool and die maker and manufacturing engineer. In 1949, Melvin married Martha Gantner in Dayton, Ohio. They resided in Dayton and Brookville, OH; Minneapolis, MN; Richardson, TX; and most recently in Ellendale, ND, where he resided until his death on March 14, 2011. Melvin was a longtime Mason. He also belonged to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He enjoyed golfing, hunting, and fishing. He was proud of his Finnish heritage and attended several Finn Fests. He was a member of the State Line Apostolic Lutheran Church in rural Ellendale, ND. He is survived by one son, David Wanttie of Ellendale, ND; one daughter, Barbara (Robert) Peyton of Springfield, PA; one grandson, Keith Peyton of Springfield, PA; sister, Shirley (Allan) Walker of Sun City, AZ; sister, Lorraine Jenkins of Ellendale, ND; brother, L. Duane Wanttie of Alexandria, MN. He is preceded in death by his parents and his wife.