John Ethan Light

John Ethan Light passed away peacefully on February 20, 2022, at Prairie Senior Cottages in Albert Lea surrounded by his wife, Ginny, and daughters Cindy and Cheryl.

John Ethan Light

John is survived by his wife, Virginia Thompson Light (Ginny); children, Cindy Light Wangen,  Rick Light (Connie), Alan Light, & Cheryl Light Shriner (Jim); grandchildren, Matthew Trettel  (Ryan Hanson), Blake Wangen (Jazmin Johnson), Christin Light, Alissa Light (Phil Kurth),  Jonathan Light, Scott Light, Marshall Shriner; great grandchildren, Maitana Light, Dominic  Light, Joslyn Light, Ethan Kurth, Laelah Wangen, and coming soon Baby Girl Kurth; step-great  grandgifts, Maleah and Cora; sister, Pat Light Bekaert (Roger); sisters-in-law; Sharon (Dennis)  Overland, Carmen (Tom) Erickson, Rita (Dan) Chavez; Illinois relatives, Terry, Steve, and  Darryl Light. He is also survived by many other treasured nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.  Related to John’s marriage to Ginny, he is also survived by sisters-in-laws, Eleanor (Don)  Sorensen, Janet (Dick) Nelson, Kathy (Ken) Davis; brother-in-law, Clay (Kari) Thompson; stepchildren,Gregg (Linda) Quam, Todd (Monica) Quam, Dann (Gem) Quam, Ross (Karen) Quam,Wyatt Quam, Kim Quam, 15 step-grandchildren, and 8 step-great grandchildren.

Family who preceded John in death were his first wife, Donna M. Eisenbise Light; his parents,

Ethan Allen Light and Mary Jane Rich Light; siblings and siblings-in-law, Harriet Light  Vandegrift & Howard Vandegrift, Virginia Light Nelson & Don Nelson, Dale Light & Audrene  (Dee) Seuser Light, Ronald Eisenbise; son-in-law, Gary S. Wangen; nephew, Jeff Bangert, and  many close Light relatives from Illinois, including Vernon Light.  John was born on Nov. 8, 1933, to Ethan A. and Mary Jane (Rich) Light on the Sewerks Farm  north of Burt, IA.

John began working at Queen Stoves in Albert Lea in 1952.  John worked at Queen Stoves, which became Scotsman for the next 43 years. He started in the factory and worked his way up to becoming a Traffic Manager for the company. At the time of his retirement, he had worked longer than any other employee of Scotsman.

He was married to Donna Eisenbise Light on Oct. 25, 1953, at Salem Lutheran Church, Albert  Lea. To this marriage four children were born: Cindy, Rick, Alan, & Cheryl. They were able to  celebrate 50 years of marriage. Following his growing up years, he lived in Albert Lea most of  his life except for seven years when he and Donna relocated to Vernon Hills, IL to continue his  employment with Scotsman when the company moved out of Albert Lea to the Chicago area.

John and the family traveled extensively all over the U.S. and took in the World’s Fair in New  York, Montreal, Spokane. Also, for many years, John was a member of Toastmasters to improve  his communication and leadership skills. For his job at Scotsman, John traveled extensively in  the United States and Italy. While living in Vernon Hills, John and Donna were active members  of Christ Lutheran Church and served in many capacities. John retired in 1995. That same year,  they moved back to Albert Lea.

On January 4, 2014, at age 80, John married Virginia Thompson (Ginny). Ginny  brought love and renewed joy into John’s life. John was a Christian and had a strong faith that  guided and comforted him throughout his life and had known Ginny as a devoted Christian for  many years. He and Ginny continued to worship at Crossroads Evangelical Free Church and  worked together for several years as leaders of a grief share group there. He loved supporting the  ministry in many ways and volunteered his time to care for the property, greeting and ushering,  and socializing with other members and worshipers. Ginny and John were lovingly devoted to  each other and enjoyed visiting with family and friends. He also enjoyed music, reading his  bible, watching and discussing sports, taking care of his yard, feeding, and watching wild birds,  visiting with family and friends and playing cards (he was quite the card player). He especially  enjoyed his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

During the last three years of John’s life, he was diagnosed with dementia. Ginny cared for him  at home until Feb 2021 and then received care at Prairie Senior Cottages in Albert Lea until his  death. His family is appreciative of the care he received when they could not be present. He was  especially fond of the tasty meals and friendly staff.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be donated to the following: Youth for Christ (The Rock),  Prairie River Camp, & St. Croix Hospice.

A celebration of John’s life will take place at Bonnerup Funeral Home in Albert Lea, MN on  April 2, 2022. Arrangements are still being made and more information will be shared closer to  the day of the funeral.