A Celebration of Life Service to honor the life and legacy of Earl Tusa, age 78, of Alpha, will be held Saturday, March 7th at 10:30 AM at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Alpha. Military honors will be provided by American Legion Post #130 and VFW Post #900 of Jackson. Burial will be in Sunset Cemetery in Jackson.

A visitation for Earl will be held on Friday, March 6th from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM at the LaCanne Family Celebration of Life Center in Jackson. Visitation will continue on Saturday at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Alpha for one hour prior to the service.

Earl Henry Tusa was born on May 26th, 1947, to Henry and Bernice (Steffen) Tusa in Jackson, Minnesota. He was baptized and later confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Alpha. Earl attended school in Alpha through 8th grade and graduated from Jackson High School in the Class of 1965.

After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Hood, TX where he served as a Kitchen Supervisor until his honorable discharge in 1967. He then returned home to begin farming in Alpha.

On April 12, 1969, Earl was united in marriage to the love of his life, Gladys Markquart. This union was blessed with two children: Steve and Brian. Earl and Gladys raised their boys on the farm and instilled a good work ethic in them.

Earl's faith was very important to him. He held church office for many years at Trinity Lutheran in Alpha. Those who knew Earl could always recognize his distinctive laugh. Working on the farm always brought him an immense amount of joy, but his grandkids were his main source of happiness. In his later years, Earl channeled his creativity into woodworking, both as a craft and a calling. When he wasn't in his shop, he could often be found making and enjoying his favorite homemade ice cream.

Earl passed away peacefully on February 26th at his home in Alpha.

Earl is survived by his wife of 56 years, Gladys Tusa of Alpha; sons, Steve (Jenny) Tusa of Alpha, Brian (Kari) Tusa of Alpha; grandchildren, Andrew Tusa, Rachel Tusa, Rose Tusa, Alex Tusa; siblings, Elaine Tusa of Jackson, Dave (Verdetta) Tusa of Owatonna, Loren (Marilyn) Tusa of Jackson, Karen (Rod) Ask of Dunnell; brother-in-law, Paul (Connie) Markquart of Sherburn; and sister-in-law, Mary (Dennis) Senne of Bloomington, along with many nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

Earl is preceded in death by his parents; infant sister, Carol Tusa; parents-in-law, Roy and Rosy Markquart; sisters-in-law, Caroline (Everett) Schulz, and Dorothy (Don) Syverson.