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Eldon Sherman Tharp, born Jan. 8, 1929, to Fred and Stella (Thompson), passed away Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, of natural causes.

Eldon is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Vincent; and special friend, Mary Lou Austin.

Eldon is survived by his four children, Cheryl (Todd) of Rochester, Sharon of Oregon, Dennis (Sheila) of Missouri, and Dan (Jo) of Walker, Minn.; seven grandchildren, Kaytlin, Erik, Daniel, Brandon, Megan (Daniel), Ben and Christopher; seven great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Arlys Tharp (Bonner) of Fairmont, Minn.; and three nieces and one nephew.

Eldon grew up in Madelia, Minn., where he graduated from Madelia High School in 1947. He moved to Rochester with his young family in 1956. He was an accountant at various businesses with the majority of his time spent at Weis Builder's Inc. until he purchased Accounting Tax Service. During his ownership, it was the largest tax business in Minnesota owned by one individual. Later, he purchased Frosty's Ice Cream and Pizza shop in Longville, Minn. After retiring from Frosty's, he spent time traveling, including trips to Europe and Alaska, his favorite.

When he could no longer travel, he walked, often up to 5 miles a day even into his mid-80s. His goal was to hit the 1,000 mile mark each year. His other great love was golfing. He was a true believer in the mulligan and played into his 80s, until he was unable to see where the ball landed. He also loved following his grandsons' sports events.

Per Eldon's request, his body has been donated to Mayo Clinic and no services will be held.[[In-content Ad]]

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