Orlando "Lars" Fladmark

“It’s been a wonderful life.”

Orlando “Lars” Fladmark passed away peacefully with family by his side after a brief illness. He was 91. He lived a remarkable life, and was a classic American success story.

Though most of you knew him as a very successful business and community leader, he did not have an easy start in life. Born during the Great Depression in 1935, he grew up in poverty on a hardscrabble farm in Pelican Rapids, MN.

He joined the Army and served three years in Germany before attending the University of Minnesota. It was there he met the woman who would capture his heart, Arlene Beneke. He always said with a smile that once he saw “those big blue eyes”, his bachelor days were over. They married in 1960 and settled in Duluth in 1962. Together they built a family with four children and lots of love and laughter – and many fishing trips to Canada. They were happily married for 61 years until Arlene’s passing from Alzheimer’s in 2021.

Lars’ professional life was remarkable. He joined a small publishing company in Duluth called Ojibway Press, which was purchased by HBJ (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich) in 1968. Lars soon became responsible for running the Duluth operation. He built HBJ/Advanstar into Duluth’s largest employer with over 1200 employees producing more than 100 national magazines and trade shows. He also concurrently served as the President of Beckley-Cardy, then the nation’s largest mail-order school supplier. Lars genuinely cared about his employees and knew almost every one of his 1200 employees by name.

He was named Duluth's "Business Person of the Year" by UMD's School of Business & Economics in 1987. His commitment to the community extended far beyond business – he served on numerous boards including the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Power, Norwest Bank-Duluth (now Wells Fargo), the Duluth Steam Co-op, the Kitchi Gammi Club, Duluth North Shore Sanitary District, and North Shore Elementary School, as well as serving as a council member of French River Lutheran church.

Following his 31 years with HBJ/Advanstar, Lars successfully launched his own small publishing company while also building a rental property business.

While he had many accomplishments, those who knew Lars remember something even greater: his joy for life and his love of people. He was often the center of any gathering, entertaining family and friends with his stories and jokes and his trademark one-liners. He also loved working on projects, fishing, spending time at the cabin, and enjoying live music with family and friends.

Above all, Lars cherished his family – and especially Arlene. He took great pride in his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. As he grew older, he often reflected on how fortunate he’d been in life, frequently saying, "It's been a wonderful life." And in fact, those were some of his final words.

He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all whose lives he touched.

Lars was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar and Gudrun (Skarphol) Fladmark, sisters Ardyce Moltzan and Kathy Kistler, and his beloved wife of 61 years, Arlene (Beneke) Fladmark.

He is survived by his daughters Toni (Jeff) Foster; Vikki (David) McKinney, and Bari (Tim) Hunt; son Jeff (Casey) Fladmark; grandchildren Courtney (Mike), Blake (Samantha), Chessa (Stephen), Dain, and Cade; and great-grandchildren Oliver, Poppy, Waylon, Lainey and Ned; and his brother Ron Fladmark.

Special thanks to Kim Boecker for the profound love and exceptional care she provided to Lars (and Arlene) over many years. A treasured friend and caregiver, she brought much joy and comfort into their final chapters.

A Celebration of Life will be held at French River Lutheran Church on August 17th. Visitation begins at 10:00 and the service will be held at 11:00, followed by interment at Lake View Palmers Cemetery. Immediately following interment will be a lunch and fellowship at the church.