Louis "Lonnie" Needham

Louis Orlin “Lonnie” Needham, 76, of Litchfield, died Sunday, January 16th at Bethesda Grand in Willmar. His memorial service will be 2:00 pm, Saturday, February 19th at First Lutheran Church of Norway Lake with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery in Willmar with Military Honors by American Legion Post #167 of Willmar. Funeral arrangements are with Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar. www.hafh.org

Lonnie was born September 16, 1945, in Oakland, CA, the son of Louis and Rachael (Dixon) Needham. He grew up in Lake Preston, SD, where he attended school. Following that, he served in the United States Air Force.

He was united in marriage on February 15, 1969, to Brenda Kruger in Minneapolis. To this union two daughters, Stacey and Stephanie, were born. For the next 40 years, Lonnie drove a semi-truck, working many of those years over road. He worked as an owner/operator hauling for many different companies racking up MILLIONS of miles. Traveling to 49 of the 50 states and had a story to tell about each one. He took his girls along with him on many trips. He later moved to California for a few years before returning to Minnesota to be near his family.

Lonnie hauled for many different companies over the years including L & D, Long Haul, & Hard Drive before retiring from C.S. McCrossan Construction in 2009. He was an honored member of Teamsters #120 and was recognized for the thousands of miles traveled without an accident or infraction.

On September 1, 1993, he was united in marriage to Joyce Nieman in Rapid City, SD. They enjoyed taking trips with their camper, including the Black Hills and California. They also enjoyed doing the daily crosswords together.  They remained friends after their separation. They lived in Ramsey until he retired in 2009. He then moved to New London to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. With Joyce even moving to the area after she retired. He later moved to Litchfield.

Lonnie was a strong, intelligent, hardworking man, who could be a tad bit stubborn and cantankerous at times. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, and completing the daily crosswords, playing cribbage and backgammon. Most of all, he was a diehard Vikings fan, never missing a game. He even had his Freightliner painted purple & gold with the Vikings emblem on the sides. He literally “bled” purple. He was a fantastic cook with a chili recipe that he prided himself on and everyone loved. He was quick witted & loved telling jokes and overall just enjoyed making people laugh. He especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren & great grandchildren.

Lonnie was a member of First Lutheran Church of Norway Lake where he cherished his many visits with Pastor Wayne whom he affectionately nicknamed, “Padre,” and was very thankful and grateful to him for always being available on his “Royal Telephone.”

Surviving are his daughters, Stacey (and Larry Harms) Cornell of Spicer and Stephanie Needham of Litchfield; four grandchildren: Tiffany Needham, Danielle (Chris) Eischens, Taylor (Michal Medina) Cornell and Ashley Needham and his brother, Thomas Needham; eight great grandchildren: Elizabeth, Cameron, Jeremiah Peterson, Brooklyn Hookom, Aiden Needham, Parker and Brenna Eischens, Carter and Levi Medina and his 2nd wife, Joyce Nieman, of Willmar.

He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife, Brenda Needham, in 2014,

great-grandson, Wesley Needham, great-granddaughters, Hailey Peterson and Rachael Peterson.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Louis "Lonnie" Needham, please visit our floral store.