Dr. Ralph D. Ellefson, 92, joined his bride, Donna, on the morning of January 13, 2024. Ralph was born January 25, 1931, in Glenwood, MN to Anna and Alfred Ellefson who were Norwegian immigrants. He attended Luther College where he earned his BA in chemistry in 1953 then his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Iowa in 1957. Ralph and Donna were high school sweethearts in Glenwood and attended Luther College together. While Ralph worked on his doctorate in Iowa City, Donna taught in Duluth, MN. Ralph married his “bride”, as he called Donna until his last breath, on July 2, 1955 in Glenwood. Following graduation, Ralph assumed a position with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where the couple raised their four children, Mark (Jenny decd) (Scandia, MN), Peter (Nancy) (Schoolcraft, MI), Jon (Jennie) (Harker Heights, TX), and Susan (Thomas) (Cedar Rapids, IA). Ralph’s career at the Mayo Clinic included establishing and overseeing a clinical laboratory focusing on lipids and lipo