Fay Leon Burrell of Park Rapids Minnesota, passed away peacefully on Oct 6, 2026, at the VA Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota at the age of 81.

Fay was born to Ernest and Estella (Whitsell) Burrell in Chambers, Nebraska on November 26th, 1944, and was the 8th out of 9 children. His young life was spent working on the family farm and then another ranch in Nebraska. After high school, Fay served his country as a soldier in Vietnam from 1966-1968.

After faithfully serving his country, Fay chose to move to Minnesota. While working for her uncle, Carol Elaine Safratowich caught Fay's eye and, as the story goes, he told people "That's the girl I'm going to marry." As it happens, Fay and Carol were married on June 19th, 1971. Their union was blessed with three children: JoAnn (Poole), Scott and Susan (Jensen).

No stranger to hard work, Fay spent many years logging before transitioning to refinishing furniture. Later in life, he continued making many pieces of furniture and various other crafts involving wood and leather. He also enjoyed trap shooting, was an excellent marksman, was an avid hunter but had an absolute passion for fishing! Fay spent many hours perfecting his craft and was one of the best fisherman out there! He enjoyed fishing every chance he could get and even spent time fishing in tournaments. Fay had many other talents and also spent time working as a rodeo clown and as an auctioneer. Fay enjoyed watching the Vikings, listening to old country music, growing vegetables and fruits and also enjoyed buying things to fix them up and sell them again. To many, Fay will also be remembered for his innate ability to spin a tall tale. The stories he would come up with for just about anything were nothing short of entertaining!

Fay is preceded in death by his parents Ernest and Estella, wife Carol, his sister Virginia and 4 brothers: Vic, Virgil, Roscoe and Foster.

Left to honor his memory include: his children, JoAnn (Michael) Poole, Scott (Carrie) Burrell and Susan Jensen; grandsons Nathan, Alex, Braeden, Cole, Beau, Ethan and Evan; his great grand-daughter Ada-Brooke and 3 sisters: Rachel, Latrelle and Wanda.

Visitation will take place on Thursday, Oct 15, 2026, from 3-7pm at the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids.

A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, Oct 16, 2026, at the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids. Service will begin at 10:00 am. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Park Rapids. A light lunch will be served at the Park Rapids at the American Legion.