LaVerne Ervin "Ernie" Mickow was born on January 10, 1937, at the home of his parents, 220 Main Street West in Elgin, Minnesota. He was the youngest son of Edwin Frederick John Mickow and Elvera Louisa Schroeder, and he spent his entire life calling Elgin his home.

Ernie graduated from Elgin High School in 1956 where his favorite memories included playing basketball, raising hell with his brothers, and wearing the floors thin with his mean two step at the Pla-Mor.

After high school he proudly enlisted in the United States Army.  Ernie finished basic training in Texas and went on to Fort Sill, Oklahoma graduating from the Artillery & Guided Missile School.  From there he went to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas where he graduated in the 202 ^nd class of the United States Army Training Center for Field Artillery.  It was then he shipped out from Port Lewis, Washington to join his Army brothers in Korea where he would serve 2 years as a mechanic in the Headquarters Battery of the 24 ^th Infantry Division's 26 ^th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion.

After returning stateside and receiving an honorable discharge from the Army, he went home to Elgin where he flashed his baby blues and dimpled chin to his future bride.  He went on to two-step and polka his way into her heart and on May 20, 1961, he married his forever Lorraine Joyce "Newts" Kuhl.

They were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Elgin and went on to build the greatest achievement of Ernie's life: his family. He had such pride and love for his family, quite frankly, he spoiled us all shamelessly and enjoyed every moment while doing it.

Nary a child crossed his lap without being lulled to sleep by the low rumble of his baritone and the soothing tick of his pocket watch stowed carefully away in the front bib pocket of his always present overalls. He was a master storyteller both with his words and by his art, he had all of the grandchildren convinced that they were the main character in every nursery rhyme he told and his eyes behind a lens of his camera told a story of his time in Korea that no history book could accurately paint with mere words.

He was a family man, and he was a working man. He found joy in hard work, a trait that he passed onto his children. He was a farmer his entire life, working the land of his great-great grandfather and being recognized in 1986 as a Minnesota Century farmer. He owned Freddie & Ernie's bar in Hammond in the 1960's and he worked for many years at Lakeside Foods after retiring from farming where we know he enjoyed the work and his time with his coworkers tremendously.

Ernie was generous by nature and felt a duty to help everyone and anyone that needed it.

LaVerne joined his beloved wife Lorraine, who left us last year, his parents who he adored and all four of his brothers in heaven on September 27, 2021. He is survived and deeply missed by his children Pam (Rich Ristau) Mickow, Theresa (Miles Hinsch) Splittstoesser, Kevin (Alicia) Mickow, Joel (Shelley) Mickow and Shana (Courtney) Schaefer as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, of whom his world really revolved, Bethany (Josh) Halter, Kevin Cory (Shaila) Mickow, Brittany (Patrick Clipsham) Splittstoesser, Ketin (Alyssa) Mickow, David Splittstoesser III, Julia (Mike) Klimavicz, Zachary Splittstoesser, Chamberlain (Christopher) Eisner, Abigail Splittstoesser, Devin Schaefer, Kolten (Carissa) Lukes, Kole Mickow, Savannah Mickow, Karsin Mickow, Jade Mickow, Ezekiel Frankel, Siana Brown, Shane Brown, Riley DeWitz, D'mitri Andrade-Perez, Kai Lukes, and Andre Gracia. He is further survived by his dear sister and brother-in-law Darlene and Jerry Bierbaum and many nieces and nephews, all of whom he thought the world of.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 1, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Elgin with Pastor Terrill Bramstedt officiating. Burial will follow the service in the Elgin Cemetery. Friends and family may visit from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service at the church on Friday.