Marlin Hildahl

Marlin Hildahl, age 74, of Granite Falls, Minnesota passed away Friday, October 10, 2025, at the Granite Falls Hospital after an eight-year battle with leukemia. A Memorial Service will be held Monday, October 20, 2025 at 2:00 PM at Rock Haven Church in Granite Falls. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the service, beginning at noon. This will be a very informal gathering, so the family has requested to please wear your everyday working clothes in memory of Marlin. 

Marlin Allen Hildahl was born April 23rd, 1951 in Montevideo, MN, to Gordon and Florence (Goettsche) Hildahl. He grew up around Wegdahl, MN, attending country school through grade 5 and then various public schools, graduating from Granite Falls High School in 1969.

When he was nine years old, he met a girl that threw rocks at him and he, in return, threw rotten apples at her. In April of 1970, he married that girl, Mary Nordang, and together they raised five fantastic children: four daughters and one son.

If you knew anything about Marlin, you knew he was a hardworking man. From a young age, he worked to help out the family whenever needed. He would milk the cows at home and for the neighbor before heading on his way to country school and do it all again after school. He didn’t play sports in school because he always had one or two other jobs to do-usually farm related. The statements, “If you don’t work, you don’t eat”, “Resting doesn’t pay the bills”, and “Work hard, love big and laugh a lot” pretty much defined Marlin. No matter who he was working for or where he was working, he expected everyone to work just as hard. It wasn’t easy at times for the people around him to accomplish. Starting his own plumbing business was a perfect fit. He only had to answer to himself for the amount and the quality of work that got done and even then he remarked that “his boss” could make things rough. He was very proud of the fact that his children and grandchildren have good work ethics, good hearts, love of God, and have also inherited his slightly twisted sense of humor.

One sport he really did enjoy was hunting. He actually presented Mary with an engagement ring while they were deer hunting. Years later, they loved heading up North to “Camp Henry” for two weeks of tent camping, deer hunting, laughs and fellowship with a unique and wonderful group of friends.

Marlin will be forever missed by his wife of 55 years, Mary. His daughters; Heidi Claypool of Sauk Rapids, Katie Phinney (Jon) of Wood Lake, Susan Gustafson (James) of Renville, Sarah Hildahl (Ryan Dambroten) of Granite Falls, his son, Luke, of Granite Falls, along with 13 Grandchildren and 7 Great-grandchildren and his best buddy The Bonehead.

Also missing him will be his brothers: Daniel (Val), Bruce, Keith (Shauna). Sisters: Glenise and Tami (Cyd), and Sister-in-law Linda S Hildahl (Julian Quarles).

Preceding Marlin in death were his parents, Gordon and Florence, his older brother Otto, and a younger brother Calvin.

We were blessed to have him, and we were heart-broken to let him go, but so happy his pain is eased.