Andrew Hatlestad, the beloved son of Phillip and Carolyn Lange Hatlestad and cherished youngest brother of Erik and Adam, grew up on the family farm on Norway Lake, was a member of the First Lutheran Church of Norway Lake, an Eagle Scout from Troop 228 of New London, and a member of the Arctander Aces 4-H Club.
Smart, quiet, and witty, with a mature awareness of music, art, history and politics, an old-fashioned value for hard work, and an everlasting spirit of kindness, Andrew was a good kid who was growing up to be an amazing young man.
Andrew had been working as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Bethesda in Willmar while studying to be a Registered Nurse at Ridgewater College in Willmar when he was tragically killed in a n accident in August of 2021, just weeks before his 21st birthday.
Andrew’s goal was to help people by being a nurse in his home community, with a dream to someday join the Peace Corp and help people around the world.
Andrew’s Legacy Fund is being used to provide $1,000 scholarships to students at Ridgewater College who are in the final leg of obtaining their nursing degree.
It is our family’s desperate hope and prayer that these students will be smart, kind, and caring nurses – like Andrew would’ve been – and that they will do the hard, important work that he intended to do.
The Andrew Hatlestad Legacy Fund was established at the Willmar Area Community Foundation (WACF). WACF is proud to administer the fund and scholarship selection process. Scholarship Funds are a way to honor a loved one or assist young people financially in their pursuit of higher education