Douglas Current

Douglas Keith Current was born on January 18, 1924 in Brown County, MN the son of Ora Current. He grew up and attended rural school in District #13 in Brown County and graduated from New Ulm High School in 1942. Doug enlisted in the U.S. Navy in February of 1944 and served until he was honorably discharged in 1946. He served in Pearl Harbor and Hilo, Hawaii. Doug married Irene Hale on June 4, 1948 at the Methodist Church in Sleepy Eye. Doug owned and operated his own automobile repair and machine shop Doug's Motor Services in Sleepy Eye. He later worked at Miller Sellner Implement, retiring in 1989. Doug was a member of the Faith United Methodist Church in Sleepy Eye where he served as an usher, greeter, on the Board of Trustees, Memorial Committee, sound system tech. and various other committees. He was a lifetime member of the Sleepy Eye VFW and American Legion. Doug was a member of the Senior Citizen's Club and served as president and vice president. He was an avid musician and was well known for his bass horn playing, including bass horn, bass trombone and baritone bugle. He was a long time member of the Sleepy Eye Drum and Bugle Corp. He also was a member of the New Ulm Municipal Band, Sleepy Eye Community Band, River Valley Wind Ensemble, and the Fezz Fritsche Band. He jobbed with most of the old-time bands from New Ulm and the surrounding area playing for many events and polka masses. He was a partner in the Roger Kodet and the Cards Band. Doug enjoyed his family, music, cards, reading, genealogy of the Current family, watching the History Channel, Lawrence Welk Show, Wheel of Fortune and Antique Road Show. He had traveled with the New Ulm Municipal Band to Detmold, Germany and with June Tom Rieff to Hawaii. Survivors include his wife, Irene Current of Sleepy Eye, Jeanne (Gary) Gauger of Springfield, MO, June (Tom) Rieff of Mankato, MN and Jeffrey Current of Sleepy Eye, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Armin (Eldora) Dittbenner, Ruth Schmidt, William (Marilyn) Hale, Roger Birkland and Norma Jean Sellner. He was preceded in death by his mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, sister-in-law, Shirley Birkland and brother-in-law Lawrence Schmidt.