Alan Thelen
December 15, 1933 ~ October 1, 2014
Alan Thelen, 80, of Lakewood, CO, formerly of Faulkton, passed away Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at St. Anthony Hospital, Lakewood, CO.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:00 am, Monday, October 6, 2014 at St. Thomas Catholic Church, Faulkton with Father John Helmueller officiating. Burial followed in St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery, Seneca. Visitation was held one hour prior to the service at the church.
Al Thelen was born in Seneca, South Dakota on December 15, 1933. Early in his childhood he moved to the birth place of his father, a farm in Faulkton, South Dakota, where he spent the remainder of his youth. During his high school years, Al was active in football, basketball and, his favorite, baseball--where he won a state championship.
Upon graduation from high school, Al joined the US Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. There he played for the Camp Pendleton baseball team. While there he enjoyed visiting various aunts and uncles, most particularly, Madelyn and Mac. Upon discharge from the service, Al enrolled at the University of South Dakota where he graduated in two and a half years and played for the Coyote baseball team. After graduation, in August of 1957, Al was accepted into graduate school at the University of Kansas. Before leaving for Kansas, he returned to the farm in Faulkton to take a year off. There, he met his wife Elaine Glanzman on a blind date she was reluctant to go on. They were married in the spring of 1958. One of the most memorable events of the wedding was his younger brother Bill, hooking up an “auto fooler” on his new car, severely damaging the vehicle. This forced Al and Elaine to honeymoon in their parents’ car.
In the fall of 1958, the couple moved to the University of Kansas where Al obtained his Masters Degree. From there they began their journey of Al’s career as City Manager in a number of cities. Included are: Atchison KS, Titusville FL, Leavenworth KS, Helena and Billings MT, Arapahoe County CO, Lake County, FL. Upon retirement from an active city management career, Al worked as a consultant in cities providing interim city management and executive search services. In this stage of his career, Al fulfilled his life-long goal of being a city manager in South Dakota when he became the interim city manager of Brookings.
Al passed away on October 1st in Lakewood, Colorado, where he and Elaine have lived for the past ten years. Al was preceded in death by his infant sister Mary; his parents: Willard and Lou Thelen; and his grandson James Thelen.
He is survived by wife Elaine of Lakewood, CO; his six children: Mark (Liz) Thelen of Fargo, ND, Sue (Greg) Faulk of Reddick, FL, Monte (Jacque) Thelen of Aurora, CO , Matt (Caroline) Thelen of Sioux Falls, SD, Curtis (Cherrie) Thelen of Tucson, AZ, and Sara Holdren of Lakewood, CO and fourteen grandchildren.
Luce Funeral Home of Faulkton has been entrusted with Alan’s arrangements.
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Our prayers go out to our friends Mark and Liz and also Mark’s extended family during this difficult time.
Jeff and Linda Haasbeek
To Elaine and Family: We remember you all in our personal and parish prayers. God be with you in a special way through this time. Love and blessings from Bro. Bill Myers and James H. Myers
Al Thelen hired me to be his Assistant City Manager in Titusville, Florida. It was a hoot to visit his wife Elaine and 6 children at their home in the Hickory Hills Neighborhood during the interview process. The day I reported for work on May 1, 1969, he told me he had accepted the offer to become the first City Manager of Leavenworth, Kansas and tendered his resignation the next day. He was an enthusiastic leader and relished the opportunity to challenge the City Council to have the City better serve their residents. He was truly “a great act to follow.” As he expected, I became the City Manager after a few months of political gyrations. Al went on to have a very successful career as a City Manager and served as a valuable mentor for me.
I looked up Al’s obituary because, at age 82, I am writing my memoir so my children and grandchildren can learn about the amazing people I worked with along the way. Al Thelen has a special place in my life story.