Dennis Forsell

Dennis Rodney Forsell, son of Albert and Opal (Sherman) Forsell, was born at home on a farm east of Ulen, Minnesota March 2, 1935. Before his first birthday, he moved with his parents to a farm east of Twin Valley where he grew up, attended Webster Country School 1-8 grades, and graduated from High School. It was in these formative years that he learned the virtues of faith, hard work and family along with the responsibility of being a good neighbor and involved in community. His family was active in the Wild Rice Lutheran Church, the schools, 4-H and Farmers Union.

Dennis participated in 4-H livestock projects, showing cattle and hogs at the Norman County Fair, Crookston Winter Shows and Thief River Fall Dairy Days. In 1951, for his leadership, he was awarded a trip to the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. He served a term as Secretary of the Minnesota State 4-H organization. Dennis graduated from Twin Valley High School, class of 1952. Because he planned to farm with his father, he took at Agricultural Short Course at North Dakota State University. At the age of 17 he started his own trucking business, dealing in livestock, freight and Christmas trees.

On September 21,1957 Dennis married Elaine Birkeland at the Wild Rice Lutheran Church…his life partner for the next 68 years. They continued to farm and run the trucking company. Dennis followed the Forsell horse tradition, which involved competition in various horse shows including exhibition chariot racing at several fairs in Minnesota and Canada. Over the years he and Elaine were active in Farmers Union, Rural Youth, bowling leagues and church activities.

In 1966, they moved to Moorhead when Dennis took a job with Farmers Union Marketing out of West Fargo. He traveled all over Minnesota and North Dakota recruiting livestock for the company.

Dennis and Elaine moved to Detroit Lakes in 1972 when he began working for Minnesota Farmers Union as a membership field man, and later as manager of Farmers Union Enterprises and then as a field man for the Farmers Union Green View project, training and supervising Minnesota Rest Area workers. Dennis was selected as one of three to represent Minnesota on a 1980 trade mission to China. On that trip he was able to visit one of their sponsored children in Taiwan.

In 1985 Dennis and Elaine became foster parents to a young Vietnamese refugee…and later added three more foster sons from Viet Nam. Dennis semi-retired in 2002 and fully retired in 2012. He and Elaine enjoyed traveling all over the United States and Canada. On one of these trips they visited the National Wood Carving Museum in Colorado. Dennis was smitten with carving! He took many classes and developed into an excellent award-winning wood carver. During this time, for several years, Elaine and Dennis opened their ‘Wood and Pot’ Shop, selling their wood carvings and pottery. They were active in Grace Lutheran Church and the Detroit Lakes Community.

Dennis is survived by his wife Elaine and their foster sons Dong (Thuy) Quach of Bradenton FL, Binh (Sandy) Trang and Kiet (Sharon) Lam of Atlanta GA, and Huy Trang of Detroit Lakes MN. Four foster grandsons and 1 foster granddaughter. Sister, Gail (Dick) Pierson, sister-in-law, Lucille Birkeland, many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Paul and Jenny Forsell, George and Ida Sherman, his parents and his sisters Carol (Jack) Duoos and Jenny Vergin.

Please join us to Celebrate Dennis’s life…Monday, May 4, 2026, 5-7 pm Visitation at the West Kjos Funeral Home in Detroit Lakes, MN or for his Service Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 1 pm at the Wild Rice Lutheran Church, east of Twin Valley, MN.