George M. Gehant, 99, passed away at the Madison Lutheran Home In Madison, Minnesota, on Tuesday, January 2, 1990. Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m., on Saturday, January 6, 1990, at the United Methodist Church of Clarkfield, Minnesota, with Pastor Wayne Shelton officiating. Organist was Mrs. Harold Forsberg and special music was provided by W. Bradley Gough and William B. Gough Jr. A special prayer was given by Rev. George Gehant III. Pallbearers were Bruce, George III and James Gehant, William B. Gough, Jr. and Darwin and Scott Hoffman. His final resting place is the Clarkfield City Cemetery, Clarkfield, Minnesota. George Modeste Gehant was born April 24, 1890, in Compton, Illinois. (Shortly after the turn of the decade.) His parents were Lena May (Galiseth) and Xavier Francis Gehant on April 24, 1890. He spent his childhood and early school years in Illinois and Wisconsin. He attended North Dixon High School, Dixon, Illinois and graduated from that same school, Ronald Reagan's Alma Mater. From high school he went to Harmon, Illinois to teach a group of seventh and eighth grade fighting Irish lads. He won their hearts by teaching them to play football; they became so enthralled with the game, they forgot to fight. It was in Harmon that he met Jeannette Gebhardt, another teacher in the school. From Harmon, George went to the University of Illinois at Urbana, where he studied agriculture. Jeanette went to Dixon to become principal of the Loveland Elementary School. On June 12, 1917, George and Jeannette were married in Sterling, Illinois. They moved to Hammer Township, near Canby where they farmed from 1917 to 1934. Four children were born; Alice, George Jr., Ward and Margaret. George was a man of creativity. On the farm, his strong skillful hands milked as many as thirty dairy cows by hand, morning and night, and picked corn without gloves. He cut his own ax handles, made neck-yokes and singletrees for his horses and forged chisels, punches and metal parts for the various machines he chose to repair himself. In 1917 George's Titan tractor was one of two tractors in Hammer township. During harvest George teamed up with Ted Rogne's treshing machine to supply a deep need of neighboring farmers. Not satisifed with farming alone, George became active in the Farm Bureau Association and in time became its State President. He helped organize The Production Credit Association with offices in Madison. He served as a board member for District 81, a one room, country grade school in Hammer township and served as President of the PTA in Canby, Minnesota. Today George would be called a P.R. man; his greatest attribute was relating to people. Because of this ability he was chosen by the University of Minnesota, to act as Emergency County Agent of Yellow Medicine County in 1934. His first responsibility was to help farmers recover from the depression and the 'dust bowl', under Federal Programs. When that led to the position of permanent County Agent in 1934, George moved from his farm to Clarkfield, Minnesota, where the County Agent office was located. It was in the latter position that George bloomed as a man of the people. Many remember his work with 4-H clubs. Even while he was known only as a farmer, he organized the Oshkosh Wide Awake 4-H Club in 1930. In April 1990, that club will celebrate its 60th anniversary. He organized club after club, and spent night after night attending their meetings, setting the ground work for the present organization in southwestern Minnesota. He instituted the "Rural Youth" as an extension for those who were no longer eligible for the younger 4-H. For many years he was the strength of the board of the Clarkfield Methodist Church and was instrumental in the construction of the present building. When George could no longer keep up with youth, he worked for the Univeristy in other capacities. When his wife died in 1974 he moved from his home in Clarkfield to Brookside Manor in Montevideo, Minnesota. He lived there until 1980. When he could no longer care for himself he moved back to Clarkfield, to the Care Center and lived there a year. In 1981 he moved to the Madison Health Care Center, Madison, Minnesota, to be near his oldest son, George Jr. During his lifetime, George had many unique experiences. A few of them are: He took his first automobile ride in 1902; five years later, in 1907 he saw the Wright Brothers fly one of their 'aeroplanes'; in 1969 he saw the men walk on the moon. For years he was the town Santa Claus, many a child has sat on his knee. He is survived by daughter, Alice Gough and spouse, W. Bradley of Media, Pennsylvania; daughter-in-law, Margaret Trygstad Gehant of Madison; son, Ward and spouse Barbara Youngmark Gehant of Plymouth, Minnesota and daughter, Margaret Gehant Hoffman of Bloomlngton, Minnesota; along with 15 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren. Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife; two brothers; three sisters; one son, George Jr.; and two grandchildren, Lance Gehant and Margaret Gough. Arrangements by Lynner Funeral Home Since 1891 Clarkfield Minnesota