Walter Adolph Mumm

Walter Mumm, 96, Benson, Minnesota, died Sunday evening April 5, 2026, at Scandi Haven Village in Benson, Minnesota. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Benson. Visitation will continue on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, followed by the funeral service at 11:00 am. Burial will be in the Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery, Horton Township, Stevens County, Minnesota. Zniewski Funeral Home of Benson is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Walter Adolph Mumm was born November 16, 1929, at his home farm place in Fairfield Township, Swift County, Minnesota, to parents Oscar L. Mumm, Jr and Leona Wendt Mumm, the first of three children. Wally grew up playing with sister Audrey and brother Allen and the many cousins nearby. He walked the mile to his county school District 48 through 8th grade then went on to graduate from the West Central School of Agriculture (now the University of Minnesota, Morris campus) in 1947. Born a few weeks after the stock market crashed, Wally remembers his years growing up in the 1930’s fondly.

Wally loved playing with his many cousins who were within walking distance, Sunday afternoons, birthdays, and especially Christmas where he “played and sang and ate GOOD food.” His love for cards started at these family gatherings, one that continued to the end of his 96 years - schmier, whist, peanuts, buck, pinochle, kings on the corner, rummy - if you had a deck of cards you were playing cards with Wally. Many stories, lessons and decisions were hashed out around the card table. Fishing with family started early in life with his Uncle Ernest Wendt. He started with bullheads in Lake Hattie and fished his whole life chasing the elusive Walleye, northern pike, sunfish, perch, salmon, halibut, trout and even carp. Some were good for eating; some were just good for a great story. Wally grew up hunting, always eating what he shot - deer, pheasants, geese, duck, and rabbits. In his later years, Wally continued to be a great shot protecting his garden from deer, squirrels, skunks and anything that threatened his plants or Bitsy.

Church, family, hard work and food were the center of his life. He attended, was baptized, and confirmed at the same place he will be buried, Zion Lutheran Church and Cemetery in Horton Township. Now just the cemetery remains where he will rest with generations of his family. Wally spent his high school years enjoying time with friends and had many stories to tell if you asked. He knew from a young boy that he would be a farmer, and his parents purchased the land across the road so he would have a farm of his own someday. Not all the girls of his time wanted to marry a farmer, but he met Arlys Mitchell, a friend of his sister Audrey and she wanted to be a farmer's wife. They married on August 30, 1952, and settled on the land that his parents had purchased. His 67 year marriage to Arlys was the cornerstone of his life. They had six children: Jeffrey, Jerry, John, Kenneth, Sandra and Karalyn. They built a successful farming operation growing corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, flax, navy beans, and a garden that would feed their growing family. They raised dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs, chickens, and the family pets - cats, dogs, and the occasional bunny. Their success came from great faith, optimism, teamwork, and work ethic. They farmed in Swift, Chippewa, and Stevens Counties and in their later years, even had farmland in Roberts County, South Dakota. They moved off the home farm in the 1980’s and built a home in Montevideo. Their perseverance served them well.

Retiring from farming in March of 1992, Wally and Arlys kept busy. They had always enjoyed traveling and went to all the places they could in their retirement years. Alaska was first and they eventually visited most if not all of the 50 states and many places in Canada and even visited Europe, camping and exploring as they went. Their son Kenneth started a furniture business in Las Vegas, and they spent many hours at “the store.” Arlys did the selling and Wally handled the back dock picking up furniture from California and delivered to all walks of life in Vegas. He loved to quiz the people he delivered to about his age - a 70 year old bringing a mattress was hard for them to believe. Wally and Arlys loved exploring the West with their 4-wheelers, camping and learning about agriculture in all different climates. But every summer it was home to the house they built on land in Chippewa County. An idyllic place to spend hours with their family, a growing clan of grand and great-grandchildren. Time with grandma and grandpa meant fire by the firepit, bike rides on the county roads, walking the crops that grew around them, and fishing at the lake. Memories that are held dear by all who got to share them over the years.

A stubborn German, Wally stayed on the farm taking care of his beloved wife Arlys till she passed away in 2019 after 67 years of marriage. He stayed there until driving became difficult and ended his life at Scandi Haven Village in Benson, still playing cards and walking the halls with his beloved Bitsy.

Wally is survived by brother Allen of Danvers, MN, son Jeff of Benson, MN, son John of Hancock, MN, son Kenneth of Sioux Falls, SD, daughter Sandy of Minneapolis, MN, and daughter Karalyn of Reno, NV, 21 grandchildren, and 36 great-grandchildren who will miss him dearly. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Audrey, wife Arlys, and son Jerry and great-granddaughter Hannah.