Earl Blohm, age 83, of Audubon, died on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Cass Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, Iowa.
Funeral services will be held at 11 AM on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at the Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Audubon, with Jason Zieger officiating. Burial will follow at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon. Visitation with the family present will be from 9:30 till the time of services at the funeral home.
Memorials can be made in his honor to the Audubon Fire and Rescue and left or mailed to the funeral home at PO Box 201, Audubon, IA. The Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Audubon is caring for the Blohm family at this time and condolences can be sent at schmidtfamilyfh.com
He was born the son of Harvey J. and Marie N. (Juel) Blohm in Carroll, Iowa, on October 26, 1942. Earl was baptized and confirmed at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Earl attended Douglas #1 country school through the 6th grade and then went to Audubon Community Schools, graduating with the class of 1961.
After graduation, Earl worked at Lindholm Lumber for a year, then started farming with his father. In 1964, he joined the Army National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1970. On May 3, 1964, he married Carolyn Pratt at the First Presbyterian Church in Manning, IA. Four daughters were blessed to this union: Susan, Mary, Ellen & Stephanie. In 1965, he began farming in Douglas Township, and in 1968 they moved to a farm southeast of Manning. In 1975, the family moved to the home farm northwest of Audubon, where he raised hogs and planted row crops. In 2001, he retired from farming and began working as a truck driver for Farm Service CO-OP in Irwin. During harvest, he hauled grain for Dave & Dee Kerkhoff of Templeton.
Earl enjoyed going to town to visit with his many friends. He & Carolyn took numerous bus trips which they really enjoyed. Time spent with his daughters, grandkids, and great-grandkids was his true enjoyment. Earl was fond of penguins and western movies. Earl was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Audubon, serving as an usher, trustee & deacon. He served on the Pork Producer Boards of Carroll & Audubon counties. He was also a member of the Manning American Legion Post Emil Ewoldt #22 for 60 years.
Preceding him in death are his parents, sisters Alice Beaman & Barbara Blohm, and father and mother-in-law Raymond & Helen Pratt.
Earl is survived by his wife, Carolyn. Daughters: Susan (Gene) Mardesen of Elk Horn, IA; Mary (Shawn) Grassfield of Cedar Rapids, IA; Ellen (Keith) Workman of Carroll, IA; and Stephanie Nissen of Audubon, IA. Grandchildren: Megan (Matt) Kapp of Ft. Collins, CO; Nick (Sabrina) Mardesen of Dunlap, IA; Natasha Ratzlaff of Marlborough, MA; Gregory Ratzlaff of Cedar Rapids, IA; Bethany Ratzlaff of Chino Valley, AZ; Vianna Ratzlaff of Des Moines, IA; Amber (Nick) Leiting of Carroll, IA; Aaron (McKenzie) Nissen of Audubon, IA; and Luke Nissen of Albia, IA. Great-grandchildren: William, Cooper, Korbin, Harvey, Mylie Jo, Norah, Myles, Kayce & McKinley; sisters: Janet (Pete) Henrikson and Julie (Mike) Stevens; and a brother-in-law: George Beaman. Along with other relatives and friends.
