John Monahan

John T. Monahan, 76-year-old resident of Little Falls, MN, passed away on Thursday, December 5th at Diamond Willow Memory Care Facility in Little Falls, after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 21 at First Lutheran Church in Little Falls, with  Bob Mueller officiating. A visitation will be held at First Lutheran Church from 9-11 am, prior to the service. Caring for John and his family is the Emblom-Brenny Funeral Service in Little Falls. 

John Thomas Monahan was born in Little Falls on February 1, 1948 to Harold “Bud” and Clara “Bea” (Calhoun) Monahan. He was the third of six children. John grew up in and around the Larson Boat Factory and Larson Motor Service on the Mississippi River where his passion for boats began. 

John graduated from Little Falls Community High School in 1966 and went on to attend St. Cloud State University, where he met his future wife, Paula Lindeman. John and Paula were married at Paynesville Lutheran Church on January 17, 1970 on a -32 degree day. They grew their family to include three children: Katie, Allison, and John.

He spent his entire career in the boating industry, by working alongside his brother and parents at Larson Motor Service and running the warranty department at Larson Boats. John eventually opened his own shop, The Boat Works, where he serviced boats and motors, restored vintage Falls Flyers and other boats, and curated a museum showroom to preserve the rich history of Larson Boats. John was an artist and a caretaker of the legacy of the boating industry of Little Falls. Over the years he passionately restored Falls Flyers and other boats for people all over the country.

John was an avid hunter, a dedicated dog owner, a master of the charcoal burner, and deeply passionate about wildlife preservation. He and Paula were proud grandparents of seven grandchildren. John especially enjoyed teaching them to drive the pontoon and attending their activities.

He and Paula also cherished traveling with lifelong friends Jay and Lynn Lowry and Mark and Margie Zwingelberg. Since his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2017, their favorite shared pastime became watching the sunsets on the Mississippi River.

John is survived by wife, Paula Monahan of Little Falls; daughters, Katie Ann (Paul) Radeke of Sartell, Allison Joy (Peter) Jacobson of Zurich, Switzerland, and son, John Patrick (Rebecca) Monahan of Sartell; siblings, Kathy Hawkinson of Florence, MT, Mary Staninger of Missoula, MT, Barb Liebel of St. Cloud, MN and Patricia (Perry) Adams of Houston, TX; grandchildren, Lane and Ava Radeke, Maxwell and Norah Jacobson, and Owen, Evrett, and Clara Monahan; brothers-in-law, Glen Lindeman, Bruce (Arlene) Lindeman, Mark (Laura) Lindeman, and sister in law Marty Olson; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, customers, and friends. 

He was preceded in death by his parents Harold and Bea Monahan; brother, Tom Monahan; nieces, Lindsey Liebel and Dawn Hornaday; nephew, Lee Liebel; father and mother-in-law, Dr. Ray and Connie Lindeman; and in-laws, Don Hawkinson, Ken Staninger, Kim Liebel, Dawn Lindeman, and Peggy Monahan. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to CHI St. Gabriel’s Hospice: 815 SE 2nd Street, Little Falls, MN 56345.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff at Diamond Willow for the compassion and care that was given during John’s time in their care. 

  Emblom Brenny Funeral Service is Cherishing the Memory and Celebrating the Life of John.