Harvey Ben Pederson

Funeral services for Harvey Pederson of Starbuck, MN will be held Friday, February 28, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at East Zion Lutheran Church, rural Starbuck, with Pastor Steve Carmany officiating. Visitation will be Thursday, February 27, 2025 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Starbuck Funeral Home in Starbuck and for one hour prior to services at the church. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Harvey Ben Pederson was born on June 27, 1950 at the Starbuck Hospital to Julian and Ada Pederson. He was the youngest of 11 siblings (Uffda). He was baptized on July 9, 1950 at East Zion Lutheran Church. He graduated from Starbuck High School in 1968, attended Wilmar Technical College in 1969 and then entered the Marine Corps Reserves in 1970. He then made the best decision of his life and married Dianne Halvorson on November 21, 1970. Harvey welcomed his first child, Joshua, in March 1973. He was honorably discharged from the Marines as a Lance Corporal in April of 1974. Harvey welcomed his second child, Stacey, into the world in December 1975. He worked for Edina Engineering for a short period of time before moving to Starbuck, MN in 1979 and the rest is history.

Not long after moving to Starbuck he found his passion as a contractor. He started Pederson Builders and built everything from pallets to entire homes, running his business for many years until his retirement (although I am not sure he ever “officially” retired). He also started Scenic Self Storage as well as managing the Minnewaska Apartments for many years in his “spare time”.

To say Harvey was very active in the community is an understatement. He wasn’t one to brag, but: he was on the city council, served over 35 years as a Lion’s club member, served 16 years on the Starbuck Fire Department, was a member of the VFW auxiliary, served as a church council member, spent over 30 years as a member of the Starbuck Chamber of Commerce, and over 25 years as a Starbuck Depot Society member. He was very passionate about the history of Starbuck and was instrumental in the establishment of the Starbuck School Museum located near the Starbuck Depot as well as other construction projects on the Depot site.

Harvey also enjoyed the outdoors. He loved to hunt deer, fish and take his granddaughters on golf cart and “Gator” rides. Traveling was also something he loved to do, taking several trips with friends to Mexico as well as many adventures with his siblings. One notable adventure was visiting his ancestral home in Norway. He also took a very memorable trip to Florida with his granddaughters and enjoyed Kennedy Space Center and zip lining over man-eating ‘gators.

Harvey was an avid collector of antiques and briefly had an antique business which he ran after he “officially” retired from the construction business. Harvey also restored so many antique tractors we have lost count. He thoroughly enjoyed hosting family reunions in the summertime where he got to show off his tractors and teach anyone brave enough how to drive them. His collection of antique farm machinery made all the local scrap iron dealers green with envy. His was particularly proud of his last restoration project that involved a 1928 Model A Ford pickup which he bought out of a back woods and was advertised as “yard art”. When he picked it up, it had actual weeds growing out of the engine block. He was determined to make it run, and boy did he ever. It was featured in the 2023 Starbuck Heritage Days parade as he and Dianne were the Grand Marshalls. He took great pride in that truck and it was a labor of love. He started the project to, as he put it, “give me something to do”. As his health was continually deteriorating, he needed quite a bit of help with it. The best part of it was that it gave him a chance to spend time with friends and family who pitched in to help put that truck together. But secretly, it allowed him to be the “boss” again.

Unfortunately, Harvey battled serious medical challenges throughout his life, both his own and family members. However, he did not let it define his life. Despite being diagnosed as a diabetic when he was only 20, he lived life to the fullest, his way. His dietary restrictions were well known by his family and there were many (most) foods he preferred not to eat, but he loved his sweets and never met a dessert he didn’t like. Thankfully, he balanced his sweet tooth with vegetables. He was legendary for this appetite for cucumbers, radishes and sweet corn. His nemesis though, was the onion (unfortunately for his family who tried countless ways to sneak them into his food) unless they were mixed in his creamed cucumbers. Then somehow they were tolerable.

He suffered great pain in the last couple years of his life but still soldiered on. He did video jigsaw puzzles on his tablet and loved to play cards with his family to distract him from the pain. He also started to restore a 70s motorcycle. Losing him will leave a huge hole in many lives, but thankfully, we can take comfort in knowing he died peacefully in his sleep and is relieved of his suffering. It was an absolute blessing to have known him and been part of his life. Words can’t really describe how much he loved and was loved by all that knew him. He will be greatly missed. But at least now, he can eat all the sweets and drink all the soda he wants all while smiling down from heaven admiring all that he built.

Harvey died on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at the Glacial Ridge Hospital in Glenwood, MN. He was 74 years old.

Harvey is survived by his wife Dianne; children Josh and Stacey; daughter-in-law Stacy; granddaughters Lauren and Lily; brother Jerry; brothers-in-law: Curtis, Mike, John, Lynn and Gary; sisters: Jeannie, Dianne, Sharon, Florene and Cori; sisters-in-law: Ceil, Sue, Elizabeth.

Harvey was preceded in death by his parents Ada and Julian; mother and father-in law Josie and Bud; brothers and sisters: Betty, Roger, Rollo and Phillip; brother-in-law Paul; sister-in-law Joyce.

Starbuck Funeral Home is in the care of arrangements for Harvey.