Arden Sollien — Rochester

Arden Sollien, 79, of Rochester, passed away at home Friday, Dec. 19, 2014, following a brief illness with cancer.

Arden DuWayne Sollien was born Aug. 20, 1935, in Spring Grove, to Syver and Florence (Rauk) Sollien. He grew up in the Highlandville, Iowa, area, and moved to Decorah, Iowa, to attend high school. He graduated from Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls and returned to Decorah to teach at Decorah High School. Arden married Patricia Ann Engen on June 8, 1962, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. They lived in Cedar Falls while Arden finished a master's degree in guidance and counseling, and then returned to Decorah. In 1966, they moved to Rochester where Arden taught in the English department at John Marshall High School until his retirement in 1996. He served as advisor to the school newspaper and yearbook for many years, and taught journalism, film and media courses in addition to the core English curriculum. His favorite subject was a humanities course called "Man's Search for Meaning."

Arden also had a successful 30-year career in real estate, where he made many friends. He was continuously engaged in civic and volunteer activities, and served on a number of boards and committees. Students and colleagues sought Arden as a mentor because he was genuinely interested in their growth and success.

He was an avid gardener and observer of nature. He enjoyed traveling and visited much of the United States and many foreign countries. In recent years, he and Pat spent their winters in Naples, Fla., where Arden loved to walk on the beach and listen to songbirds. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family and friends.

He will be deeply missed by his wife, Pat, of Rochester; daughters, Kaarin (Dan) Hardtke of Maple Grove and Kris (Jeff) Sanders of Robbinsdale; son, Eric Sollien of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and brother, Everett (Lois) Sollien of Hesper, Iowa. He is also survived by six grandsons, Alex, Ryan, Adam and Reed Hardtke and Trey and Jordan Sanders.

Arden was preceded in death by his parents and brother and sister-in-law, Floyd and Mary Lou Sollien.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Rochester.

Visitation with the family will be held at the church Monday, Dec. 29, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Arden made a final educational contribution by donating his body to the Mayo Clinic.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church or Seasons Hospice are preferred. Burial will take place at Highland Lutheran Church, rural Decorah, Iowa, at a later date.