Wayne D. Grimsrud, 95, of Poplar Wis., died peacefully on Friday, January 8, 2021 at Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, Minn. with family at his side.

He was born to Marvin and Ethel (Baker) Grimsrud on November 7, 1925 in Superior, Wis., and graduated from Central High School in 1943.

He enlisted in the United States Navy to serve his country during WWII and to see the world and was eventually stationed in the Philippines. After the war ended, he attended UW-Madison on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1951 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He began his career at the US Steel Plant in Morgan Park, Duluth, Minn., where he worked for 14 years. Following that, he worked at Fraser Shipyards for several years and lastly spent more than 20 years as a Civil Engineer with the State of Wisconsin, Department of Transportation, Division of Highways. His last project prior to retiring in 1991 was the design of the Wisconsin-side approach to the Richard Ira Bong Memorial Bridge over the Duluth-Superior harbor. In retirement, he stayed active by becoming the caretaker of the Poplar Cemetery, a function he continued to perform until 80 years of age.

In 1964 he met Ginny Korhonen at the Superior Curling Club and they celebrated 56 years of marriage on his 95th birthday in 2020.

In his younger years, Wayne liked to hunt and fish, play golf and curling. Throughout his long life, he employed his ability to find humor in and make the best out of the most mundane situations. He thoroughly enjoyed laughter and often entertained others with jokes, stories, and impressions. He enjoyed watching sports, especially football, golf, and boxing. He loved spending time with his grandchildren, solving crossword and Sudoku puzzles, designing, inventing, and being a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Above all, he was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren. He most certainly will be missed.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Merton, Robert, and Kenneth (Neva) Grimsrud; his sisters, Janet Grimsrud and Faith Holden; mother-in-law, Betty Korhonen; brothers-in-law, Lester Korhonen, and Van 'Chipper' Korhonen.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia (Korhonen) Grimsrud; his son, Wayne D. Grimsrud, Jr.; his daughter, AnnDee (Pradeep) Bashyal; his granddaughter Priya Bashyal and grandson Niraj Bashyal; sister-in-law, Carolyn Korhonen; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Wayne's Life will be held on Saturday, July 17, from 1-4 p.m. at the Amnicon Town Hall, 8985 US Hwy 2, South Range, WI. Military Honors will be accorded by the Richard I. Bong American Legion Post #435 at 1:30 p.m.

Thank you to all of the health care professionals who provided care and comfort to him, especially in the final weeks and days of his life.