Overdahl, Curtis J. Formerly of Falcon Heights, passed away peacefully on December 4 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Curt was born in Richland, South Dakota on June 24, 1917 to Jens and Elise (Clementson) Overdahl and was raised on the family farm near Elk Point, South Dakota. During World War II he served as a navigator on a B-17 where he flew 32 combat missions over occupied Europe, including several missions in support of the D-Day invasion. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal in recognition of his wartime service. After the war, he earned his undergraduate and Masters degrees at the University of Minnesota and his Doctorate at Purdue University. He joined the faculty of the Soils Science Department at the University of Minnesota, where he remained for 34 years before retiring. He married Helen Beneke in 1953 and together they raised a family of three children in Falcon Heights. He was preceded in death by his sister Blanche, his brothers Ernest and Harlow, and his wife Helen (in 2001). He is survived by his children: James (and daughter-in-law Janis) of Arlington, Virginia; Michael (and daughter-in-law Carla) of Ft. Wayne, Indiana; and daughter Barbara (and son-in-law Michael Frushour) of Houston, Texas. He is also survived by grandchildren Kirsten Overdahl, Erik Overdahl, Jennifer Overdahl, Daniel Frushour and Hayley Frushour. Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at Trinity English Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne with Graveside Military Honors to follow. Memorials should be directed to the University of Minnesota Foundation, PO Box 860266, Minneapolis MN 55486-0266, in support of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) Opportunity Fund (#3553).