A Memorial Service for Greg (Al) Tolan, age 79, of Spirit Lake, was held Monday, July 27, 2026, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Interment was at Lakeview Gardens in Okoboji.
Gregory Alan “Al” Tolan, the son of Tom and Eva Tolan, was born on March 12, 1947, in Fonda, Iowa. He was raised in Fonda as the fourth of sixteen children and graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic School.
On June 1, 1985, Al was united in marriage to Connie Steinberger-Edmunds. Together they raised four boys.
Al was an avid outdoorsman. He grew up hunting, fishing, and trapping alongside his father, brothers, and friends, and later shared that same passion with his sons and grandchildren, teaching them the “proper” way to hunt and fish. If Al had a fishing pole or shotgun in his hand, he was a “happy camper”. He especially enjoyed catfishing on the river with his buddies, fishing walleye on Big Winnibigoshish in Northern Minnesota, and looked forward each year to duck, goose, and deer hunting seasons – and oh, the stories.
Al was a devoted family man and hard worker throughout his life. He was employed by Gross Sales and Service in Lake Park for many years before working for Mangle PHC and Lakes PHC in Spirit Lake, and later Style-Craft in Milford.
He also had a passion and knack for cooking and baking. Al could prepare just about anything – and was especially known for turning every kind of wild game into a delicious meal. He enjoyed classic westerns on television, even if he had seen them countless times before, and loved taking walks with the dogs around the neighborhood.
Al was humble and good-hearted. He liked to clown around but also had a stubborn streak. He was an all-around great guy who will be forever loved and missed by all his family and friends.
Al passed away at his home in Spirit Lake, Iowa, on July 16, 2026, at seventy-nine years of age.
He is survived by his wife, Connie Tolan; son, Dennis Tolan; stepson, Curt (Jane) Edmunds; brothers, Larry Tolan, Jim Tolan, and Andy (Susan) Tolan; sisters, Sylvia (Mark) Reed, Tess (Don) Cersovski, Martha (Bob) Skog, Alice (Bob) Barngrover, Beatrice Tolan, and Rita Krowiorz; sister-in-law, Colleen (Jim Campbell) Frederick; daughters-in-law, Danette Tolan and Sarah Edmunds; four grandchildren; three great-granddaughters; along with many other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Tom and Eva Tolan; in-laws, Bob and Bev Steinberger; son, Arnold Tolan; stepson, Cory Edmunds; brothers, Duane Tolan, Theodore Tolan, Jacob Tolan, Richard Tolan, and David Tolan; sister, Grace Englehart; brother-in-law, Chuck Englehart; and sister-in-law, Sue Tolan.
Arrangements were under the care of Turner Jenness Funeral Home.
