John Edmund Todnem

JOHN EDMUND TODNEM, son of HELEN PAULINA COLTON and LOUIS TODNEM, was born in 1925 in South Dakota, and died February 23, 1955 in Grafton, Jersey, Illinois.⁶⁹⁷³

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La Crosse Tribune, August 20, 1948⁹³⁴⁷

Quammen, Todnem Vows At Harmony

HARMONY, Minn. —(Special)—At Greenfield Lutheran Church Aug. 10 Charlyne Elinore Quammen was united to John Edward Todnem, Mankato, Minn. the evening double-ring vows performed by the Rev. O. C. Brenna uniting daughter and son of Mr. and Mrs. Truman Quammen, Harmony, and Mr. and Mrs. Louis Todnem, Mankato. Pink and white gladioli were the altar flowers. Mrs. Carl Pederson was organist and Pauline Seim vocal soloist.

The bride's white organdy gown was long-trained and her fingertip veil of illusion was held in a tiara of pearl orangeblossoms. She carried white and sweetheart roses. Muriel Hoiness, maid of honor, and Genevieve Mullu, bridesmaid. wore blue and pink eyelet embroidery and carried daisies, delphinium and monk's hood, with like tiaras. Wesley Wooge was best man, Blaine Harstad, groomsman, James and Bruce Harstad ushers. Beryl Harmon, flower girl, wore long yellow organdy, carrying yellow daisies in her basket.

Miss Muriel Hoiness was vocal soloist at the church reception for 150, her accompaniment by Donald Hoiness. Miss Anna Seem played piano selections.

Assisting at the reception were Mrs. Harold Johnson, decorations; Mrs. Horace Olson, hostess; Miss Dorothy Hegg, Mrs. Murrell Jacobson and Mrs. Blanche Winslow, serving; Mrs. Orville Hoiness and Miss Frances Williams, pouring; Mrs. Ervin Young, cake; Eleanor Dennestedt, guest book.

After a honeymoon the couple will reside in Mound, Minn., where Mrs. Todnem will teach English and speech and Mr. Todnem will continue his studies in aeronautical engineering at the university. The bride is a graduate of St. Olaf college. The bridegroom served four years as a naval air pilot.

Out of town guests were Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Eveland, Kelly, Ia.; Mrs. George Feger, Clinton, Ia.; Mr. and Mrs. Louis Todnem, Mankato; Mrs. W. A. Hendricks, Chicago; Mr. and Mrs. Vince Stegnse, Ortonville; Miss Frances Williams, Mrs. George Gulbrandson, Mr. and Mrs. Claude Williams, Mr. and Mrs. S. I. Soma, Lanesboro, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Mc Cormick, Winona; miss Esther Colton, Colton, S. C.; Miss Genevieve Muller, Gibbon, Minn.; Mr. and Mrs. A. K. Sameliam, Miss Nancy Samelian, Miss Agnes Hoffman, Mr. and Mrs. Elbin Erickson, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Erickson, Mrs. Florence Hogen, Miss Irene Fox, Rochester; Mrs. Ruth Sabatka, Aberdeen, S. D.; Mr. and Mrs. Williard Thomas, Lime Springs, Ia.; Mr. and Mrs. Randolph Peterson, Atlanta, Ga.; Mr. and Mrs. Gerld Hilliard, Winona; Mr. and Mrs. N. R. Hennings, St. Paul; Wesley Waage, Noonan, N. D.; Paul Ingvaldson, Minneapolis; Delmar Frederickson, Northfield; Russell Sorenson, Le Roy; Pauline Seim, Decorah.

Winona Daily News, February 24, 1955⁶⁹⁷³

Husband of Harmony Native Killed in Crash

John Todnem, 30, Test Pilot, Dies In Illinois Mishap

GRAFTON, Ill.—John Todnem, 30, Mankato, Minn. native, was killed in the crash of a U. S. Navy carrier-type jet near here about 3 p.m. Wednesday.

He was son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Todnem, Mankato, and was married to the former Charlene Quammen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Truman Quammen, Harmony, Minn. Louis Todnem has been coach at Mankato High School 32 years and before that was coach at Winona. The Todnems and Quammens left Minnesota by car Wednesday night for the John Todnem home at Kirkwood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

As reported by residents of the Grafton area and the Navy, test pilot Todnem was piloting a Navy Demon F3H fighter on a routine test flight for the McDonnell Aircraft Corp., St. Louis. Residents reportedly heard explosions before or after the crash. A 10-foot crater was found in a marshy area near the junction of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, three miles west of Grafton.

His body had not been found by noon today, but the Navy reported there was no chance that Todnem escaped the crash. It was more than eight hours before searchers found the wreckage. Planes from the Illinois Civil Air Patrol and the McDonnell Corp. combed the area and dropped flares to guide parties on foot.

Todnem was a native of Mankato and served in the U. S. Navy air arm from 1942-46. He was married to Miss Quammen about six years ago and they have one child, a son Robert, 3. Todnem had been employed by the McDonnell Corp. since 1952, recently as a test pilot.