Allen Lenard Colburn, 85, Mantorville

Allen Lenard Colburn passed away the morning of Sept. 5, 2020, at age 85, after living with cancer for several years.
Al was born April 9, 1935 on a farm in Concord Township to Norman and Berdella Colburn. He was born weighing little more than four pounds, and with scarlet fever, yet grew up one of seven healthy
children. He started school a year early in a one-room country schoolhouse, so that the school would have enough students to continue, and graduated from Mantorville High School in 1952, part of a senior class of ten students.
After high school Al worked at Gamble’s hardware store in Pine Island until he joined the U.S. Navy in 1954. There he was stationed on the USS Helena, a heavy cruiser based in Long Beach, and through the Navy he traveled the world, including trips to Hong Kong and Japan.
In November of 1957 he married Yoma Mae Blood of Mantorville, and in July of 1958 he completed his service and the couple returned to Mantorville together. He worked for several years at Sears in Rochester, until he began working in maintenance at IBM, also in Rochester. He worked at IBM for 28 years and retired as a manager in the maintenance department.
In 1959 Yoma and Al added a daughter to the family, Julie Faye, and in 1967 a son, John Allen.
Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s Al could be found camping in Northern Minnesota, fishing on the Mississippi River, running 10K races at small festivals all over Southern Minnesota, cutting and splitting wood to heat the house, playing in card tournaments (especially Whist), and mostly figuring out how things worked. He loved finding and repairing machines of all kinds and made his garage into a workshop.
In retirement Al took up skydiving, began building an airplane in his garage, and acquired his pilot’s license. His love for airplanes and experimental aircraft led him to be a regular at the EAA annual convention and fly-in at Oshkosh, Wis. and at other fly-in events and air shows around the Midwest. He completed the build of his airplane and flew it and other experimental aircraft for many years. Al said that he found the sky a peaceful and always interesting place.
Al passed away in the house he had lived in for 54 years, surrounded by family.  

True to his desires to help people and to figure out how things work, he donated his body to medical research. He is survived by his wife, Yoma Colburn; son, John (Aki) Colburn; son-in-law, Paul Lindner; brother, Edward Colburn; sister, Lois Packovich; granddaughters, Jordan Brown and Yuki Shibata Colburn; great-grandson Arlo Brown and many nieces, nephews and extended family members that he cared for deeply.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Julie Lindner, as well as brothers, Leslie Colburn and David Colburn and sisters, Anne Schuck and Bonnie Quimby.

His humor, generosity, and resourcefulness will be missed by many people.