The funeral for Alvin Eugene &8220;Gene&8221; Knutson will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at Hosanna Lutheran Church with the Revs. Karen R. Grandall and Bill D. Meiers officiating. After the service the body will be cremated and the ashes scattered at 11:45 a.m. Sunday, at the Hosanna Lutheran Church Memorial Garden.

Mr. Knutson, age 81, of Rochester, died on Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, of cancer at Seasons Hospice in Rochester.

Born April 30, 1924, in Adams, he graduated from Adams High School in 1941, and then served in the U.S. Army Air Force. On June 23, 1946, he married Elna Feller, formerly of Harper, Texas, in San Antonio, Texas. He attended Luther College and Dunwoody Industrial Institute before graduating from IBM’s Customer Engineer training in New York. He then worked as an engineer for IBM, based first out of Waterloo, Iowa, and then Rochester, retiring in 1985 after 35 years of service. He was one of 14 people who were the original founders of Hosanna Lutheran Church in Rochester, and served as the sound system coordinator for 12 years.

Survivors include his wife; son, David (Lynne) of Gurnee, Ill.; two daughters, Janice (Chuck) Engebretson of Sartell, Minn.; and Sonja (Andrew) Hallworth of Temecula, Calif.; and six grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother.

Reviewal will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the church and one hour before the service Saturday.

Memorials are suggested to Hosanna Lutheran Church Building Fund.

Mahn Family Funeral Home – Rochester Chapel is in charge of arrangements.