Emery Humphrey

Emery J. Humphrey, age 94, passed away on December 1, 2012 surrounded by his loving family. Emery was preceded in death by his wife, Phyllis; grandson, Mark Humphrey; parents, Guy and Ethel Humphrey; brothers-in-law, Art Wiese and Dale Dyer. He is survived by his son, Gary (Joyce) Humphrey, daughters, Judy Metcalf, Carol (Larry) Pearson and Leiloni (Mike) Young; 12 grandchildren; 19 great grandchildren; 8 great-great grandchildren; sisters, Grace Wiese and Fedora Groenewold; in-laws, Betty Dyer, Joanne and Carl Froshiesar; and many nieces and nephews.
Emery was born in Drakesville, Davis County, Iowa, on January 22, 1918, to Guy and Ethel (Pierrard) Humphrey. He lived, graduated (1936) and worked in Mullen, Nebraska. He was then joined in marriage to Phyllis Dyer on July 13, 1940, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Shortly after, they moved to San Diego, California where he proudly worked for Consolidated Aircraft during WWII until the spring of 1943 when they moved to Iowa. In 1947, they bought a farm west of Pine River, Minnesota, where they raised cattle and sheep. During that time he also worked for Marshall Wells store, now Gardiner Hardware. Later he worked on the iron mines in Hibbing until 1959 when he made a professional shift from farming to long distance trucking. The farm was then taken over by Gary and Joyce Humphrey. Emery and Phyllis, along with their daughters, resided in Nebraska and Illinois during that time, where he bought a semi and hauled cars and boats for Kenosha Auto Transport of Wisconsin. The family returned to Pine River in 1967 where they established a new farm while Emery drove truck and school bus. Among other things, they were well known for growing and sharing their asparagus with family and locals. Emery and Phyllis enjoyed their retirement years traveling, panning for gold, and spending time with extended family.

A memorial service will be at 2 PM on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at the First Lutheran Church in Pine River. A memorial visitation will be held at the Kline Funeral Home in Pine River Tuesday evening from 5 until 7 PM.