Corwin Michael Ogaard

Corwin Michael Ogaard, 62, of Albion, MI, passed away in nearb    y Oaklawn Hospital, Marshall, MI, following a brief illness.

Corwin was born in Crookston, MN on June 14, 1960, the middle child of 3 of the union of Duane and Eleanor (Raymond) Ogaard. Baptized and confirmed in Crookston’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Corwin received his elementary education at Cathedral Grade School and graduated from Mount St. Benedict High School as a member of the Class of 1978. He then attended Brainerd (MN) Community College before transferring to Mankato (MN) State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1984. Corwin then worked as security for the J C Penney Co. in Edina, MN for a short time. He soon put his magnetic personality to good use in 1986, working in the customer service field for Northwest Airlines. Corwin’s first position was in sales in El Segundo, CA while living nearby in Redondo Beach, CA. He eventually rose to Supervisor status while serving Northwest at Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport (Sea-Tac) and Spokane Int’l Airport where he received the ‘Top Salesman’ award. He spent the remainder of his career with Northwest at the Portland (OR) Int’l Airport. Upon taking early retirement in 2008, he was honored with special recognition for his dedication and exemplary efforts on behalf of everyone at Northwest Airlines. While working for Northwest, Corwin was provided ample opportunity to travel all around the world and he shared this love with his parents. Corwin was so proud that, through his employment with Northwest, he could give his parents the ability to travel and experience the world. He also made wonderful memories with his parents as they traveled to Thailand and Hawaii together.

Corwin relocated to the Twin Cities in 2010 and brought his talents in customer service to St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, MN providing care and warmth to patients and visitors at the front desk of the hospital and was recognized by St. Joseph’s with their “One of Our Best” award. Following his time at St. Joseph’s, Corwin worked as an independent stock trader. After a few years, his strong interpersonal skills brought him back to working with people as a traffic officer at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He moved to Albion, MI a few years ago.

Corwin was a movie buff, particularly of the classics, a sports enthusiast, and a collector of baseball caps and signed baseballs. He was active in local humane societies wherever he lived; loved nature and being around the ocean and lakes, and spending time in the sunshine, especially on the beaches of Hawaii.  Corwin had a special connection with Hawaii and his family that lived there.  His cousin, Doug from Honolulu, said, “If you look up the definition of aloha in the dictionary, Corwin’s name should be there because this man was pure gravity. People just gravitated to him. He had an infectious way of pulling you in and keeping you there with his smile and kind, genuine spirit, his wonderful sense of humor, and all the pono (Hawaiian for harmony/balance) in the world. You just wanted to be friends with him 5 minutes after you met him as he lit up the room. That’s how genuine a soul he was.” He was a source of unconditional love and support, and his family always came first.

Grateful to have shared in his life are his mother, Eleanor Ogaard of Crookston, MN; brother, Romuald “Rom” Ogaard of Crookston; sister, Marla Ogaard Dressen of San Mateo, CA; nephews and nieces: Hunter Dressen, Holly (McHale) Bjerke, Megan (Jon) Tweet, Matthew Ogaard, and Andrew Ogaard; great-nephew and great-nieces: Lydia, Paige and Chloe Bjerke, and Henry, Sadie, Vivian and Julia Tweet; aunts, Elaine Murray, Aggie Sexton, Mary Kriech, Cheryl Jackman and Barbara Parsons; uncles, Larry Kuiper and Les Kuiper; and many cousins, other relatives, and friends. He was preceded by his beloved father, Duane Jerrial Ogaard, who passed away on May 13, 2019; and grandparents: Ernest and Julia (Kotschevar) Raymond, and Adolph and Alma (Lindberg) Ogaard. Forever treasured be the memory of Corwin Michael Ogaard, a devoted son, loving brother, cherished nephew, fun uncle, and loyal friend.

Mass of Christian Burial celebrating the life of Corwin Ogaard will be held at 2:00p.m., Friday, February 10, 2023, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston, MN, with The Rev. Msgr. David Baumgartner, presiding. Visitation with the family will be for the hour prior to the Mass. The service will be livestreamed by going to www.crookstoncathedral.com and clicking on the prompt to view. Burial will take place in the Ogaard family plot at Bethel Cemetery, rural Beltrami, MN, in the spring. Messages of condolence may be offered to Corwin’s family by going to his obituary page at www.stenshoelhouske.com.

 In lieu of flowers memorials may be given in Corwin’s name to the Bethel Cemetery, c/o Romuald Ogaard, 420 1^st Avenue NE, Crookston, MN 56716.